Apple’s iTV will be much more like an upscaled iPod than a downscaled PC
Saturday, September 30, 2006 - 10:16 AM EDT
"Steve Jobs described the iTV as Apple's entry into the living room, as if it were a strategic move in a larger game plan," Daniel Eran writes for RoughlyDrafted. "But with several wireless TV extenders already on the market, why will Apple's be any different?"
Eran writes, "One could have asked the same question of the iPod in 2001, when there was a similar variety of music players already available. Early reviews suggested Apple's product was simply nothing new, that it just had a bigger price tag. Why did the iPod clean up the market? For starters, it leveraged some key Apple assets:
•Well designed hardware specifically tailored for its intended use.
•An uncluttered, simple, and easy to use interface that works well.
•Software integration and mature media support based on Quicktime: The Secret Weapon Inside iTunes
"Engineering vs Marketing: This is another example of how Apple competes as a technology company: it finds what users need, then engineers a product designed to meet those needs, often in innovative ways. Apple's approach can be seen in the design of the iPod, but also in software, from its iLife apps to pro apps such as Aperture," Eran writes.
"The public is so used to me-too style copying that Aperture was quickly dubbed a Photoshop rival until people realized that Aperture wasn't a new Photoshop at all, but rather represented a new workflow tool for photographers; the two products share little overlap," Eran writes. "There's simply not much point in trying to mimic successful, established products unless it's possible to effectively compete on price. In order to deliver sales, a new product has to add significant new value. If the value is already being delivered, where's the opportunity?"
MacDailyNews Note: See Microsoft's Zune.
Eran continues, "...iTV will be much more like an upscaled iPod than a downscaled PC... In its first year of iTV, Apple isn't going to deliver a magical $299 box that replaces the Tivo, Media Center and other DVRs; Netflix, other DVDs rentals, and DVD sales; broadcast TV; or the Xbox, PlayStation, and Wii. Apple doesn't need to 'kill' any of those products in order to be wildly successful. In fact, iTV will offer the most value to consumers by integrating well with the products they already use."
Much more in the full article here.
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"Apple doesn't need to 'kill' any of those products in order to be wildly successful. In fact, iTV will offer the most value to consumers by integrating well with the products they already use."
Finally, someone gets it!