Content is kingįor years, getting traditional TV content through the Internet remained out of reach as programmers held tight to the rights to their channels, worried that so called 'over-the-top' delivery would chip away at the number of people watching through traditional distributors like cable and satellite providers.

But what would hurt the company is introducing something that's not truly compelling despite having years to get it ready.Īpple declined to comment. Being late to the game has never hurt the company in the past - just look at the success of the iPod, which followed other digital music players, and the iPhone, which wasn't close to the first smartphone on the market. Because Apple is Apple, it has the luxury to wait to get it right. Most important: Even without any significant marketing, a tech refresh, or a high-profile new service, Apple TV is doing just fine on its own.Īnd for Apple, there's really no rush to introduce something that's half baked. Google's Chromecast dongle for online video can be purchased for $35. The price cut on the Apple TV box, meanwhile, reflects more than just its pipeline plans it's also an acknowledgement of cheaper competitors. Rights for the country's hundreds of local stations aren't as simple as sealing a deal with few parent companies. TV content providers, for instance, can hold out for better terms. The no-show underscores the daunting challenges that even a major player like Apple faces when introducing a video service that seeks to upend the status quo.

Apple couldn't broker deals with TV programmers to stock the new service with channels in time, according to reports. In March, Apple cut the price on its current streaming-media box from $99 to $69, a classic signal that a company is clearing out old inventory ahead of a newer version coming down the pipeline.īut as the company's Worldwide Developers Conference approached, the prospects of seeing a new streaming device at the confab dimmed. This year, the Cupertino, Calif.-based consumer electronics titan has been widely reported to be developing a new Apple TV box that it would launch alongside an Internet-delivered television service. But Monday's developer conference keynote was supposed to be different. In that span of time, Apple has thrown plenty of splashy events, and each one has come and gone without Apple TV getting serious time in the spotlight. Apple TV first launched in 2007 and hasn't been revamped since its last generational update in March 2012.Īnother Apple event, another Apple TV no-show.Īpple's streaming-video box has gone three years without a refresh to a new generation, all while Internet-delivered TV has grown bigger and more accessible than ever.

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