Amid persistent rumors of substantial upgrades, the current Apple TV is beginning to show its age, losing ground in the streaming media device marketplace to rival Google Chromecast and Roku in the first three quarters of 2014, according to market researcher Parks Associates as reported by CNET. Apple's decline comes at a time when interest in streaming media devices is on the upswing, with 10 percent of households buying at least one media player this year.
Despite a decent drop in market share over the past year amid increased competition, Roku remains the leader among set-top boxes and streaming media sticks, accounting for 29 percent of the market in the 9-month period, down from 46 percent in 2013. Google's Chromecast stick had a strong showing in 2014, climbing to the number two slot with 20 percent market share and knocking the Apple TV down to number three. With 17 percent share, the Apple TV remains in front of Amazon's Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, which together accounted for 10 percent market share, although the Fire TV stick is just now rolling out to consumers.
The Apple TV was first introduced in 2007 and has been updated periodically during its seven-year lifespan. It currently remains in its third generation with the last major hardware update released in March 2012, followed by a minor revision in January 2013. Multiple rumors this year hinted at a refreshed Apple TV hardware with App Store integration, Bluetooth controller support, and more, but those rumors have yet to pan out. Though its Apple TV hardware has been essentially unchanged for over two and a half years, Apple continues to make improvements to the software and add new channels to the Apple TV lineup.
Well, update the $%$# thing with something new/useful. Otherwise, a $30 stick that does everything you do for $99 is going to take market share from you.
Not surprising. I'm still waiting for whatever Steve Jobs said he "cracked" with television. The ATV certainly isn't it. I use it to stream my iTunes stuff, but that's about it.
- Lower Price - App/Channel Store - UPDATED HARDWARE - Gaming Model
So upsetting that Apple still is leaving this device largely abandoned. And Airplay has been SO BAD since iOS 8. Really problematic.
When the Apple TV was released alongside the announcement of the iPhone, I was hoping Apple had big plans for it also. It's a real shame since there is so much potential.
I would buy one, but the Chromecast and Firestick are cheaper and more elegant. Apple is lagging on this and other areas unfortunately. Another missed opportunity for them.
Wednesday January 19, 2022 11:30 am PST by Juli Clover
It's now been a few months since the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro models launched in October, and MacRumors video editor Dan Barbera has been using one of the new machines since they debuted. Over on the MacRumors YouTube channel, Dan has shared a three month review of his MacBook Pro to see how it has held up over time and how it's changed his workflow.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube ...
Wednesday January 19, 2022 6:44 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple suppliers will begin producing display panels for the third-generation iPhone SE this month, with final assembly of the device likely to start in March, according to information shared by display industry consultant Ross Young.
Based on this production timeframe, Young believes the third-generation iPhone SE is likely to launch in the second half of April, or perhaps in early May at...
Tuesday January 18, 2022 11:46 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released a new 4C170 firmware update for the AirPods 3, an update from the prior 4C165 that was made available in December.
Apple does not offer details on what's included in new firmware updates for the AirPods, so we don't know what improvements or bug fixes the new firmware brings.
There is no standard way to upgrade the AirPods software, but firmware is...
Tuesday January 18, 2022 6:11 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today filed unreleased iPhone and iPad models in the Eurasian Economic Commission database, as spotted by French blog Consomac.
The filings likely represent the rumored third-generation iPhone SE, fifth-generation iPad Air, and potentially more. The unreleased iPhone models have the identifiers A2595, A2783, and A2784, while the unreleased iPad models have the identifiers A2588, A2589, ...
Tuesday January 18, 2022 10:35 am PST by Juli Clover
Verizon and AT&T's upcoming rollout of new C-Band 5G technology could cause chaos and lead to widespread delays of passenger and cargo flights, major U.S. airlines said on Monday in a letter sent to the White House National Economic Council, the FAA, and the FCC (via Reuters).
"Unless our major hubs are cleared to fly, the vast majority of the traveling and shipping public will essentially...
Tuesday January 18, 2022 4:15 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Microsoft has released a new version of its Office for Mac productivity suite that includes an updated Excel app with 100% native support for Apple silicon machines.
According to the release notes accompanying version 16.57, Excel will now run natively on Macs powered by Apple's M1-series processors without having to use the Rosetta 2 translation layer, which means anyone using a Mac with an ...
Wednesday January 19, 2022 2:22 am PST by Sami Fathi
Apple is now requiring that customers in the United States verify that they're active students, teachers, or staff members at an educational institution in order to access education discounts on products.
Previously, little verification was needed for customers to purchase products through Apple's education store in the United States. Apple's education stores offer models of the iPad and Mac ...
Continuing the tradition set with the iPhone 13 Pro, only the highest-end iPhone 14 models will feature Apple's ProMotion display technology, according to a respected display analyst.
Ross Young, who on multiple occasions has detailed accurate information about Apple's future products, said in a tweet that ProMotion will not be expanded to the entire iPhone 14 lineup and will remain...
Apple's long-rumored under-display Face ID technology will not be coming to the iPhone 14 Pro, according to recent reports.
Based on the latest rumors, it now looks unlikely that the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature Face ID technology under the display as several reports claimed over the past year.
Display industry consultant Ross Young, who often reveals ...
Top Rated Comments
TV is a stale industry that could use some major innovation.
Watches are also stale, but I also don't see them having near as much potential as TV.
- Lower Price
- App/Channel Store
- UPDATED HARDWARE
- Gaming Model
So upsetting that Apple still is leaving this device largely abandoned. And Airplay has been SO BAD since iOS 8. Really problematic.
When the Apple TV was released alongside the announcement of the iPhone, I was hoping Apple had big plans for it also. It's a real shame since there is so much potential.