Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Apple TV could be star of company's Wednesday show

Apple's effort to upend the television market isn't a sure thing, analysts said. Many of the features that it is expected to include on Apple TV -- an app store, voice search, a more powerful processor and a motion-sensing remote -- are already available on other devices, they noted. Meanwhile, Roku, which has some 2,000 channels available for its boxes, is likely to maintain its lead on Apple for the time being, Erickson said.

The bigger problem facing the new Apple TV could be its price, analysts said. Reports suggest that Apple will price the device at $150. That's not only $50 more than what the company charged for its previous Apple TV, until it discounted it earlier this year, but it's $100 more than what the streaming sticks are selling for.

At that price, Apple could have a hard time finding buyers other than its most loyal fans, said Barbara Kraus, an analyst who covers the connected device market for Parks Associates.

"I guess I don't see anything here that makes me think that this is a game changer," Kraus said.

From the article "Apple TV could be star of company's Wednesday show" by Troy Wolverton.

Previously In The News

73% Of Broadband Consumers Want To Tightly Control Their Personal Data

A large majority (73%) of U.S. broadband consumers express a desire to keep tight control over access to their personal data, with nearly half being very concerned that someone will access the data wi...

Free ESPN in Dorm Rooms Gives Comcast Access to Future Customers

A study by Parks Associates found that password-sharing cost the TV industry $500 million in 2015. On its website, Comcast advertises its college streaming service by telling students: “Mooch no more....

Best Buy Bets on Adults Remotely Monitoring Their Aging Parents

Fueling the interest in monitoring aging relatives remotely are some compelling demographics. By 2020 about 45 million Americans will be caring for 117 million seniors, spending on everything from foo...

Smart Light Bulb Owners Turn To Amazon Echo, Google Home

Google Home and most recently Amazon’s Alexa can tell whose voice is talking to it so it can respond to the right person, making the voice assistants even more personally tuned. Around 11% or so of...