Apple must be working on something really big related to the Apple TV. Or related TV technologies. The last major release, the 3rd generation Apple TV, was on March 7, 2012. Three years is an eternity in the tech industry. I am disappointed about the delay.
Image credit: Apple
There's been more written about Apple and TV than any other Apple subject—except for perhaps the Apple Watch. We've been waiting to see how Apple would disrupt this industry. At the very least, we've been expecting a refresh of the Apple TV that would run apps, have a better idea about entering text (including passwords), and surely add the ability to output UHD/4K. After all, (in my opinion), it's going to be a 4K Christmas for the TV industry.
Apple isn't shy about disrupting any industry it thinks it can make a contribution to. Whether it's the smartphone business, mobile payments, home automation, health monitoring or medical research, Apple has been able to leverage its huge installed base of iOS devices and engineering talet to change things for the better.
That's why I'm so disappointed in the fact that, except for HBO Now, Tim Cook had nothing to new say about the Apple TV. Frankly it's getting to be an embarrassment.
Image credit: Apple
Our only hope, Obi Wan, is that the price reduction to $69 foretells a further clearing of inventory. In addition, it could simply be an explicit apology, a breadcrumb tossed out, for the fact that Apple had nothing new to say about this product.
Of course, it could be a matter of timing. Apple announced some exciting products during the Spring Forward event, and because Apple Watch was the centerpiece, Apple couldn't roll out everything all at once. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.
A more bitter scenario is that Apple, in 2015, doesn't see any genuine opportunity to disrupt the TV industry in the same way it can benefit from cooler MacBooks and the Apple Watch. In that case, the best thing for Apple to do is go with the other really cool stuff, continue to work the Apple TV in its current state with things like HBO Now, and bide its time.
Besides, with everyone so hyped about the affordability of the Apple Watch, perhaps it's time to wait until later in the year to roll out a new Apple TV. Perhaps at Christmas when 4K fever is in full bloom.
It's my only hope.