Today the new Apple TV (iTV) will most likely be launched by Apple at their music event. There is a lot of excitement around this release as we hope to see the iTV move from being a "hobby" to a much more capable device.
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99c TV shows are appealing, but what I really want is the ability to watch brand new movies instantly. When a movie is released, I want to come home, kick back with my home theater system, turn on my iTV, fire up the new movies app or iTunes, select an in theatre movie, click watch, accept the payment and start watching instantly.
The idea may seem far out, but at All Things D, Steve Jobs said “I even think you’ll be able to watch a first run movie before it hits theaters” as long as you are willing to pay the price to do so.
The options to achieve this are plentiful as Apple has been slowly moving away from being just a content provider to a platform provider for any type of content. This is the real appeal of the iOS devices.
iTV as a Platform
The power of the device will be in the content. Apple understands this and that is why they are changing the name of the device from Apple TV as it will no longer be about only TV content. It will tear apart the fundamental go to market strategy of the TV industry by doing one thing Steve loves to do. Price low and aim for mass market adoption. He mentioned during his All Things D interview that for music they priced low and went for mass adoption. He wants to do the same for print, and now TV. The iTV will be priced low so that consumers will see it as cheap enough to buy for all TV’s in the house, cheap enough that if there is damage to it they wont need insurance just buy another one. Cheaper than a Kindle...
As an example of iTV as a platform, let’s take a look at the various methods my dream service can be achieved
Apple and iTunes
Apple already has the iTunes store with which it can provide new movies. The only problem will be licensing deals. Assuming Apple attains this, it can just provide a way for people to instantly stream new release movies already using their iTunes accounts. This could be the iTunes movie theater.
The Movie Studios
Each studio holds their catalog close to their chest. They have lucrative deals to sell DVDs and structure their deals to aid this. They could create iOS apps from which you could directly buy, consume and download movies from their catalog. The only issue will be who provides the infrastructure. Apple can provide it for a fee (maybe at that server facility in NC) or they can build their own data centers to provide their catalogs directly to consumers. Using apps wraps the content in a secure shell (without flash) that should reduce if not eliminate their fears of piracy.
The Movie Theater Companies
Each movie theater already has a deal with the movie companies to show their movies upon initial release in their facilities. Now with iOS, you could create an AMC app, and allow people watch movies in their homes, keep the pricing the same or slightly less and reap the rewards of distributing more movies and spending less on upkeep of theaters. This could lead to maybe even a new kind of movie theater specifically focused on distribution through apps.
So...
I have no idea if this will even come to pass, but who says I can’t dream. I know moving the Apple iTV to iOS will open doors for all sorts of other content like games, sports, documentaries, independent movies and music and I can’t wait to see how things change in the next few years. Maybe the end of Cable TV as we know it.
Recently the question was asked of how the iPad will change the state of subcompact computing going forward. Maybe it’s time to start asking how the iTV will change the television as we know it going forward.