The rumoured Apple television device will only be a sideshow, albeit a potentially profitable one, for Apple if or when it enters the Connected TV marketplace properly, Stephen Taylor, Co-founder at the media technology consulting firm Redshift Strategy declared this week at the IBC conference. The real strategic goal for the company will be to get its iOS operating system onto every television screen, which would mean working with other CE manufacturers like Samsung and LG, so creating a truly cross-device ecosystem that it can monetize. This is the same objective that Google and Microsoft have and Taylor said it will be a strategic imperative for Apple, ensuring that television is much more than just a hobby for the company.
Taylor provided a very thoughtful presentation about the emergence of the major OS players in the Connected TV ecosystem and warned that while none of them had enjoyed any meaningful success in TV yet, they were playing a long-term game. For Microsoft, Google and Apple, the approach will be to persuade consumers that the mobile/tablet or PC OS, and the accompanying user experiences, is what we need in the television space. Redshift Strategy has identified 18 different viable technical standards for Connected TV platforms today and does not expect anything like this number to survive the next five years. Taylor is expecting some consolidation.
A cross-device ecosystem built around an existing (or evolving) OS does not require Apple to introduce expensive new devices, Taylor added, which is why any television display from the company is a sideshow. He pointed to the way Microsoft and Apple are working to unify operating systems for mobile and laptop and added: “Their ultimate goal is to extend the reach of their OS as far as possible. To them the TV is just another screen alongside the smartphone and tablet.†This sets these companies apart from other connected device manufacturers, whether they are making Smart TVs or dedicated set-top boxes.