Apple’s fourth-generation set-top box, the $149 Apple TV, is launching next week and it won’t be just a hardware upgrade. For the first time since the Apple TV’s 2007 debut Apple is providingĀ a software platform to enable third-party experiences on your big screen TV.
DiscussingĀ the sad state of the television industry and talking about how Apple can improve a āterrible, brokenā process of watching television duringĀ the Wall Street Journalās WSJ.D Live conference in Laguna Beach, California last night, Cook saidĀ that Apple’s new tvOS platform represents a āfoundationā for the kinds of experiences his company aims to deliver to consumers.
On disrupting the TV watching experience
The new Apple TV is the āfoundationā for a new kind of the TV watching experience, which has been āterribleā and ābrokenā thus far, in Cook’s own words.
The current ālinear TVā experience āhas to be brought up and modernizedā he said. In reiterating that the future of television is apps, Cook underscored that Apple’s new fourth-generation Apple TV and the tvOS software platform both give providers such asĀ HBO the tools to sell their content directly to consumers.
Asked if consumers would dig Apple TV apps considering they would supposedly be āhard to search,ā Cook said, āHave you ever tried to buy HBO through a cable company?ā
āThe first thing that has to be done when you buy a house is lay the foundation,ā he continued. āThe starting gun has been fired.ā
The new Apple TV features a universal search function allowing customers to use the power of their own voice to findĀ content across a variety of built-in sources such as Netflix, iTunes, HBO and more. In addition, third-parties writing apps for the new Apple TV can makeĀ their own video content searchable across the system with dedicated APIs.
On iPhone S-upgrade cycle
Asked whether the Cupertino firm should consider abandoning its establishedĀ S-upgrade cycle for iPhones to speed up innovation, Cook said the iPhone 6s has as many innovations as its predecessor, naming features like 3D Touch and more.
āWe have a pressure to innovate every yearā as customers themselves get to vote with their wallets each year, Cook quipped. As for the iPhone Upgrade Program, it’s meant to provide more choices to iPhone buyers rather than compete with carriers.
Other highlights from Cook’s WSJ.D Live talk:
- Apple will be taking pre-orders for theĀ new Apple TV beginning next Monday, with shipments beginning by the end of that week.
- Apple MusicĀ has convinced approximately 6.5 million users to stay with the service as paying subscribers and currently has 8.5 million more customers on three-month trials
- The health aspect of the Apple Watch āhas a long product road map aheadā as sales of the wearable device have been accelerating since its April 2015 launch.
- Cook sees software as becoming an increasingly important part of the car of the future, predicting āmassive changeā coming to autonomous driving.
On privacy, government and encryption
When the Wall Street Journal editor Gerry Baker challenged the 54-year-old CEO on the possibility of a government backdoor in its software, Cook reassuredĀ Apple won’tĀ make trade-offs in customer experience to appease Uncle Sam.
āWe are not making a trade-off with customer experience. Our view is that you can have both. We think encryption is a must in todayās world,ā he said.
āNo back door is a must. You canāt have a backdoor thatās only for the good guys. Any backdoor is a door bad guys can exploit. No one should have to decide privacy or security. We should be smart enough to do both.ā
On social issues
Because āweāre a global companyā and taking into account that āgovernment isnāt working wellā when it comes to education, the environment and human rights issues, Cook said Apple has āa responsibility to be a great global citizen.ā
āEach generation struggles with treating people with basic, proper human respect. Itās so bizarre, I think. Iāve seen this growing up. Iāve seen in today. Iād love to help be able to push the ball over the line,ā he said.
āBecause I think the world would be so much a better place if we just treated people well and treated them with basic human respect. We want to give back. Our culture is to leave the world better than we found it,ā concluded the Apple chief.
Source: The Wall Street Journal