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Comment by lambada | Hacker News Reader

Is this a sign that Apple might be preparing to kill the Apple TV box? Perhaps they see the future as being native smart apps inbuilt into the TV.

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I really hope they won’t kill the AppleTV. Yes the device is expensive (it’s an Apple product after all...) but it’s so refreshing to use a TV OS that is performant, responsive, and doesn’t have ads in it. And I personally love the trackpad remote. Apple’s stance (and track record) on privacy also gives me peace of mind that it’s not sending back unwanted data.

I love the remote too but the bluetooth seems more sensitive to RF interference on the 4k Apple TV than it did on the previous model.

Why kill it, Apple TV is one of their best products, amazing video and sound quality and the best remote, if you have a home cinema like theatre and spend a few hours a day watching TV, the additional cost of $125 is irrelevant. Apple should use their chip making expertise to develop a native 4k Laser Projector at affordable prices, Sony at $5000 still too expensive, Texas Instruments have been slow to innovate and get to 4k. A true native 4k apple tv with laser projector at say $2000 is quite doable and would be a very attractive product, to get 150 inch viewing screen plus options to link to several smart speakers for surround sound.

Or maybe they are just trying to separate their content selling business from their hardware businesses? They could get additional revenue from users using iTunes to rent movies or TV shows even if they don’t buy their hardware.

Bingo! I bought a Roku to avoid the Apple-Amazon war (back when Amazon did not have video apps for iOS and tvOS). iTunes isn’t on Roku, so I don’t use iTunes when I purchase videos. Know what is on Roku? Amazon!

I have 3 Roku TVs and a Roku stick attached to a fourth and I also recommend Roku products to almost everyone.

I also have two 4K AppleTVs (free with DirecTVNow.)

But Roku is everything I hate about non Apple consumer electronics. It’s not a hardware product where the business model is I give them money and they give me stuff. Half the home screen is an advertisement and the shortcuts on the remote go to the highest bidder. I have one remote with a shortcut to Rdio (defunct) and one with CBSnews.

I really hope not. The Apple TV far outpaces 'smart TVs' and other set-top boxes in terms of UI and stability.

There's no need to kill good and successful products.

https://media.thinknum.com/articles/google-chromecast-sales-...

And yet some call this the innovator's dilemma.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innovator%27s_Dilemma

How does this relate? Having a product that requires little attention and brings in cash doesn’t diatract from innovation, it enables it.

Sadly, Apple seems more like the company to cut products that "don't produce enough growth". Look at how they killed off the ipod, airport, and time capsule devices. At the moment it seems if something isn't selling like crazy, they either ignore it or discontinue it.

When they last reported iPod numbers they were selling about 1.5 million devices a quarter and most of those were probably the (still available) iPod Touch.

I suppose one could say the same about the AirPort, but those met their demise anyways.

I see it is as a sign of them giving up on making their own TV (I thought it might have been a rumour, but I might be wrong).

What I find more interesting though is the timing: a deal like this would probably have been in the works for months in advance of the Tim Cook investor update earlier in the week. Apple would have also had to make the software for this version of iTunes too. What chipsets do these Samsung TVs have? Is it similar to one for an Android phone? Could iTunes/Apple Music show up on Android next?

I'm not privy to Apple's product strategies, but the Motorola ROKR was not really a sign of Apple giving up on making their own phone…

They just want rent for movies and tv. Lifetime revenue of decades and thousands per person. Licensing deals with Samsung and probably many more is easier than making another Apple TV that people want a lot.

Apple Music is already available on Android FYI. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apple.andr... :)

It also recently became available on Amazon Echo devices, so I wouldn't read anything special into it becoming available on Samsung TVs (given that Apple's Homepod directly competes with Echo): https://www.wired.com/story/apple-music-on-amazon-echo/

If I'm not mistaken Samsung TVs run Tizen - so quite different to Android.

Can't see how that would work. As that would be like Apple putting Apple Music on Android and killing the iPhone. The samsung method will be a degraded experience but one they are willing to allow to increase growth. Like when they allowed iTunes on PC finally even though they knew it wouldn't be as good of an experience but was there only way to continue to grow. I think it's a great move on their part if they have a chance with competing with Netflix.

Apple Music is already on Android, and has been for a while https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apple.andr...

I think that was his point- Apple Music on Android doesn't mean Apple is discontinuing the iPhone, and similarly, putting Apple Movies on the Samsung TV doesn't mean they are discontinuing the AppleTV

More like what google has done with chrome cast. Sell a device but also license out the tech to be deeply integrated with other devices.

The Apple TV is also their only HomeKit hub (you can have a; iPad as a hub, but that’s hardly reliable).

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