A new report from market-research firm Parks Associates places Apple fourth in terms of market share for streaming media players like the Apple TV, a sign that consumer infatuation with Apple products only goes so far. The company’s penetration of the streaming-device market has declined since a year ago, to 15%.
Roku, a quiet competitor, leads the market and continues to rack up share. (The privately held company is reportedly considering an IPO later this year.) Amazon’s Fire TV comes in second, and Google’s Chromecast is third.
“Higher priced devices, such as the Apple TV, have not been able to keep up with low-priced and readily available Roku devices, which can be found at Wal-Mart for as low as $29.99,” Parks Associate senior analyst Glenn Hower said in a release. The Apple TV starts at $149, and the HomePod speaker is to be priced at $349, more than its two big rivals, the Google Home and Amazon Echo, combined.
From the article "What Apple Can Learn From Its TV Failures" by Emily Bary.