As Apple continues its slow march to world domination, the latest realm to fall to the Cupertino colossus is the connected TV player market. According to research from Strategy Analytics, the Apple TV device will account for nearly a third of the set-top devices shipped globally this year.
What’s even more impressive is that up until this point, the Apple TV has been regarded as a sideshow at Apple, with its flashier iPhone and iPad siblings garnering far more attention.
Jia Wu, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics, said the following about the Apple TV’s rising dominance:
“Apple is leading this nascent market, which it still considers a ‘hobby,’ . . . As Apple prepares for its expected launch of smart TVs in 2012, rival platforms must accelerate their development plans to keep Apple from running away with the connected TV business, as it has done in smartphones and digital music.”
Is Apple going to do to the TV and set-top device markets what it’s done to the smart phone and tablet industries?
(via Home Media Magazine)
No
Strategy Analytics has to be fudging the numbers to make statements like this. Roku has been dominating this market for years, and that is if you ignore the game boxes. There are now other formidable competitors, including Apple, but it’s a short-life market anyway – internet connected TV’s will eventually take over.
I don’t see Apple TV taking over. I agree that with internet connected TVs, the demand just won’t be there.