When it comes to innovation and invention, it doesn’t matter who was first, it matters who was best.
The point? When it comes to innovation and invention, it doesn’t matter who was first, it matters who was best. Apple already impressed this upon the world with the iPod, iPhone and iPad, and now it looks like streaming Internet TV could be next. Though Dish Network got there first with Sling TV, substantial new rumors indicate Apple is experimenting with a similar TV platform. Sure, we’ve heard it all before, and have been repeatedly disappointed, but that was before Dish blazed a very real trail.
Of course, Apple doesn’t just get to show up later and win the game – it does so by executing the little details nobody else got right. What does that mean with Internet-based television? We’ve tried the first offering of the genre, and here’s what’s left for Apple to fix.
Step 1: Create a killer interface
Apple is the king of crafting user interfaces so gorgeous you want to jump in and live there. To do Web TV right, the layout will need to be slick, and smooth as silk. It can’t just look better than the archaic channel layout from cable, it has to crush it.
Search will need to be more intuitive than what Sling TV currently offers (Siri, anyone?), and it wouldn’t hurt if it were platform agnostic, so that you can search for a show and see that it’s available on say, Netflix,
Step 2: Accompany it with killer hardware
At over two years old, the current AppleTV streaming device is on its way to becoming the Rip Van Winkle of media streamers – you know, the old guy who falls asleep for decades and wakes up to discover the whole world changed. Reports have claimed that Apple has been waiting to upgrade its hardware while it negotiates plans for a TV service, even working with Comcast at one point to get the job done. But now that
Along with a next generation Apple TV, adding the service to iPhones and iPads will be icing on the cake, creating an option for those who don’t want to throw down $100 to get in on the action, with the potential for connecting to your TV through other devices, like Google’s affordable Chromecast.
Step 3: Keep the price down, and the a la carte in
Apple will have to compete with Dish’s $20 entry price, which seems to be the sweet spot for those already leveraging their hard-earned dollars across three or more
Step 4: Land ESPN
When it comes to the content people want, it’s not rocket science.
Step 5: Real time-shifting
One source of disappointment with Dish’s new service is that time-shifting — the ability to pause, rewind, and fast-forward through TV content — is limited, and only available in any form on a select number of channels. This is likely because of the tightrope Dish walked to land content contracts, and to prevent cannibalization of its own satellite TV service. But if Apple really wants to do it right, DVR-style time shifting is a must.
Step 6: Better resolution
Our other main issue with
For an offering that rivals cable and satellite, Apple will need to find a way to look cleaner and clearer.
That may require a more direct connection to the Internet pipelines that run directly into our homes, but luckily, that’s something Apple has been rumored to be working on for some time. The company has already created its own CDN (Content Delivery Network) to transmit updates to iTunes and other products more efficiently. And the company has also been brokering deals with major ISPs for faster connections, according to industry analyst Ray Coburn. Whatever it takes, high resolution is an important facet to help get this service airborne.
Step 7: Just get it done, already
Apple has been dancing around the idea of getting into TV in some form or another since long before the late, great Steve Jobs passed on. The Apple TV is aging,
Apple is used to showing up fashionably late, but it’s also possible to show up too late, when the party is already over. Look at subscription music: Apple allowed Spotify to seize the lead and rope in millions of subscribers before it showed up late with Beats Music, which struggles to compete in its current form.
Whether the service can accomplish such lofty goals or not, if nothing else, Apple’s entry will spawn some much needed competition in a burgeoning new industry. And that’s good news for all of us.
Editors' Recommendations
- Six things we’ve learned so far from MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
- Apple TV has quietly been on board the FAST train all this time
- Can’t stand the Apple TV touchpad? You can buy the new Siri remote for $59
- We’re well past the point where Apple should have multi-user support on the iPad
- Apple HomePod can replace a Dolby Atmos soundbar when paired with Apple TV 4K