Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Apple TV could be star of company's Wednesday show

Apple's effort to upend the television market isn't a sure thing, analysts said. Many of the features that it is expected to include on Apple TV -- an app store, voice search, a more powerful processor and a motion-sensing remote -- are already available on other devices, they noted. Meanwhile, Roku, which has some 2,000 channels available for its boxes, is likely to maintain its lead on Apple for the time being, Erickson said.

The bigger problem facing the new Apple TV could be its price, analysts said. Reports suggest that Apple will price the device at $150. That's not only $50 more than what the company charged for its previous Apple TV, until it discounted it earlier this year, but it's $100 more than what the streaming sticks are selling for.

At that price, Apple could have a hard time finding buyers other than its most loyal fans, said Barbara Kraus, an analyst who covers the connected device market for Parks Associates.

"I guess I don't see anything here that makes me think that this is a game changer," Kraus said.

From the article "Apple TV could be star of company's Wednesday show" by Troy Wolverton.

Previously In The News

Roku Shares Soar in Streaming-Device Maker’s IPO Debut

Roku faces massive, deep-pocketed competitors — but so far the 700-employee company has more than held its own in the streaming-media device market. In the first quarter of 2017, Roku had 37% share of...

How Roku Morphed From a Quirky Hardware Startup to a TV Streaming Powerhouse

Roku has kept its eye on simplicity ever since that first player while also making products that often are far more affordable than those of its competition. “People underappreciate how important pric...

Apple's home head leaves, and new products launch, on HomeKit Insider

We also spent some time discussing a new Parks Associates study that surveyed 10,000 homes to identify the growth in smart home tech. Doorbells and locks were the fastest growing category this year, w...

Apple TV losing market share to streaming set-top box rivals Roku, Amazon

Published on Tuesday, the study by Parks Associates found ownership of the Apple TV in the first quarter of 2017 made up 15 percent of the market, down from the 19 percent market share recorded by ana...