Apple SVP Eddy Cue recently sat down with CNN to talk about the new Apple TV and the future of television. The company's new media streaming device launched at the end of October featuring greatly expanded capabilities thanks to the inclusion of a tvOS App Store.
Cue says that the end goal for Apple is to remove the need for a traditional set top box. When asked about the possibility of an Apple-branded TV package, he said "We want to get to the point where customers are able to buy whatever they want, however they want. We're not fixed into 'There's only one way to buy it.' Just like we've done with the App Store, where there have been things that have been free; things that you subscribe to; things that you pay for; things that are in-app. All of those capabilities will be here and we want that market to be able to develop."
Notably, Cue says that if cable TV providers want they could offer a whole cable package through the TV. "If Comcast or any other provider wants to do that, they'll be able to do that with the current Apple TV."
Addressing the pain of needed to authenticate for each app, Cue says "those are things that we can always make better."
Cue was also questioned about rumors that Apple was working on exclusive content. "We don't try to do things that are exclusive," he answered. "What we try to do is build technologies that let developers do things that they can't do anywhere else." Cue also evaded questions about Apple financing TV shows itself. "We love working with our partners," he said. "We're great at technology and they're great at creating content, and we think that's a great partnership to have." When pressed further about the possibility of producing signature shows like Netflix has done with House of Cards, Cue responded: "I think there's a tremendous amount of great content out there today, and we want to make it easier for customers to have access to it."
Take a look at the video interview below...
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Cue says that the end goal for Apple is to remove the need for a traditional set top box. When asked about the possibility of an Apple-branded TV package, he said "We want to get to the point where customers are able to buy whatever they want, however they want. We're not fixed into 'There's only one way to buy it.' Just like we've done with the App Store, where there have been things that have been free; things that you subscribe to; things that you pay for; things that are in-app. All of those capabilities will be here and we want that market to be able to develop."
Notably, Cue says that if cable TV providers want they could offer a whole cable package through the TV. "If Comcast or any other provider wants to do that, they'll be able to do that with the current Apple TV."
Addressing the pain of needed to authenticate for each app, Cue says "those are things that we can always make better."
Cue was also questioned about rumors that Apple was working on exclusive content. "We don't try to do things that are exclusive," he answered. "What we try to do is build technologies that let developers do things that they can't do anywhere else." Cue also evaded questions about Apple financing TV shows itself. "We love working with our partners," he said. "We're great at technology and they're great at creating content, and we think that's a great partnership to have." When pressed further about the possibility of producing signature shows like Netflix has done with House of Cards, Cue responded: "I think there's a tremendous amount of great content out there today, and we want to make it easier for customers to have access to it."
Take a look at the video interview below...
Read More