Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Why I'm Glad Apple Inc. Killed Its Smart TV Plans

There's simply no reason for Apple to jump into the crowded low-margin battlefield of smart TVs when it can sell its hardware at gross margins exceeding 40%. Steve Jobs reportedly once told employees, "TV is a terrible business. They don't turn over and the margins suck."

Perhaps Icahn will argue that Apple's brand appeal could convince people to buy $1,500 4K TVs. But in my opinion, TVs don't belong in the same category as smartphones or tablets. Plunging prices across the market indicate that customers favor big screens with low price tags, and the upgrade cycle for TVs is much longer than the one for smartphones and tablets.

In addition, Apple already has a decent foothold in the connected TV market with Apple TV, which accounted for 17% of all streaming media devices in the U.S. last year, according to Parks Associates. That makes it a decent platform for delivering iTunes, its upcoming streaming TV service, and other digital content to customers.

From the article "Why I'm Glad Apple Inc. Killed Its Smart TV Plans" by Leo Sun.

Previously In The News

After Uber's stumble, is it Lyft and Sidecar's time to shine?

Parks Associates analyst Tejas Mehta agrees the bad press won't change much unless Lyft and Sidecar add more investors and find a new way to stand out. "Lyft has been competing with Uber on pri...

Roku still tops as sales of streaming-media players rise

Streaming-media devices continue to grow in popularity amid swiftly shifting competition, according to a new report. During the first three quarters of 2014, 10 percent of US households with a...

Apple TV's YouTube app gets a rare overhaul

Meanwhile, over-the-top boxes like Apple TV are surging in popularity. Research group Parks Associates estimates sales of such streaming-media devices will top 57 million worldwide in 2018, nearly...

Uber homes in on safety initiatives amid concerns

While Uber is forging ahead with its initiatives, tangible safety improvements may take time, said Parks Associates research analyst Tejas Mehta. "Uber's new safety initiatives are an acknowled...