Analistii americani erau gata sa parieze tot ce au pe faptul ca Apple va lansa un televizor anul acesta, si ar fi castigat daca planurile companiei Apple nu ar fi fost date peste cap de catre companiile care produc acel continut multimedia pe care furnizorii de servicii CATV ni-l ofera. Apple s-ar afla in negocieri dure cu aceste companii si discutiile ar fi ajuns intr-un punct mort deoarece companiile ar dori sa controleze software-ul in baza carora ar functiona televizoarele, insa exista probleme si in ceea ce priveste companiile care ar urma sa distribuie televizorul.
Apple is vying with the likes of Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. to make TVs the digital hub of people’s lives in an industry projected to reach $200 billion worldwide by 2017. Whoever wins must first strike deals with media companies or cable providers who have little incentive to cede valuable revenue streams. The result: Apple won’t be releasing a new TV product this year, as analysts had predicted, said a person familiar with the company’s plans. In recent negotiations, the main stumbling blocks with cable companies have included a tussle for control over the software that determines the screen interface — the look and feel of the viewer’s experience, said people familiar with the discussions.
Practic viitorii parteneri ai Apple doresc sa controleze software-ul in baza caruia functioneaza televizoarele, lucru pe care au dorit sa il faca si operatorii de telefonie mobila in cazul iPhone-ului, insa stim ca acolo Apple a avut castig de cauza. Totusi problemele nu se opresc aici, deoarece Apple incearca de cativa ani buni sa incheie intelegeri cu marile companii media din SUA, insa nu are noroc si la mijloc ar putea fi ceva mai mult decat simplul refuz de a oferi control reciproc asupra software-ului/continutului multimedia.
Apple Inc. (AAPL) engineers have been working since 2005 to reinvent TV viewing. Designing the gadget may prove easy compared with convincing media and cable companies to loosen their grip on the television industry. Since the middle of the last decade, Apple’s engineers have been working on a more advanced product to allow viewers to quickly find shows and movies, blending both live and recorded material, the people said. It would recommend content based on interests and work seamlessly with Apple’s family of other devices. An iPhone or iPad would double as a remote control, the people said.
Marii furnizori de servicii CATV ar dori sa inchirieze un eventual televizor Apple, ori un Apple TV, pentru un abonament lunar, in timp ce Apple ar dori sa il vanda direct catre consumator si mai apoi sa ceara bani pentru vizionarea continutului. Pe langa aceasta strategie diferita de business, se pare ca potentialii parteneri ai Apple se tem ca un produs al companiei le-ar putea afecta intrega linie de produse existente, lucru pe care nimeni nu si-l doreste si desigur ca in acest punct negocierile incep sa nu mai mearga asa cum ar trebui. Apple vrea sa obtina profit cat mai mare, companiile media si furnizorii de servicii CATV doresc acelasi lucru si pentru ca o colaborare sa fie incheiata, fiecare trebuie sa cedeze cate ceva si sa se ajunga la un punct comun.
In some of its most recent negotiations, Apple has focused on cable companies that would give it access to live broadcasting without needing new content agreements. Under such a deal, Apple would release a new product for customers to access their set of channels, paid with a cable subscription, instead of leasing a set-top box from pay-TV operators for a monthly fee, a person familiar with the discussions said. Walter Price, an investor with RCM Capital Management (NLY) in San Francisco who met with Apple executives recently to discuss their television efforts, said cable and media companies are concerned that a better-designed Apple product will undermine their business model. Cable companies are also concerned about losing their link to customers in the same way Apple overhauled the relationship between wireless carriers and their customers after the iPhone debuted.
Pe scurt, marile companii media din SUA se tem de Apple, vor sa controleze aproape tot si din aceste motive nu vom vedea un televizor Apple sau un Apple TV nou in 2012.
