The big Apple event is coming and it's time to take a look at Apple TV. Two years after Apple's launch of Apple TV 4K, the company's next upgrade is expected to offer more, with a plus.
What is the business case?
It's fair to say that the introduction of application support in Apple TV did not really meet the high expectations that many had for this device.
Many developers found that the games were a little underpowered and that most other categories of apps found little or no market, prompting many developers to stop creating platforms. .
Some categories of apps seem to work well on Apple TV: retail, real estate, mail order and educational apps, for example. These appear to be the strongest categories on the platform, after TV content applications and games.
During the WWDC 2019, Apple announced some interesting improvements to its Apple TV operating system (tvOS), but none of these improvements seems particularly likely to boost the profitability of developers on the platform:
- A new home screen with video previews.
- Multi-user support.
- A new control center.
- Songs' lyrics.
- Support for the game controller.
- New screen savers.
These improvements suggest that, at least for the next few months, Apple's main interest with Apple TV is entirely content-centric. It seems to work - even the Twitch game streaming service is now coming to the platform.
Is the new material on the way?
This focus on content is appropriate for the company's present, but the future of the platform could see it again touching its developer community.
Current speculation suggest that Apple intends to improve the product with a powerful A12 Bionic processor, used in the current iPhone range.
This is a significant improvement over the previous A10X chip of the Apple TV 4K. This means that the graphics and applications will be better, but also that third-party developers may be able to start creating Apple TV applications that exploit the built-in neural engine AI.
This last point could generate interesting opportunities for developers to create applications combining artificial intelligence and home-based solutions.
Meanwhile, however ...
It's possible that third-party Apple TV developers never explore the boundaries of augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and content development, but I would be surprised.
However, at the same time, you are considering Apple's next Apple TV + service, which will inevitably generate another business opportunity by creating engaging content for this streaming service and others.
(While the potential for exploiting compelling platform technologies with which Apple might eventually support the content created for its platforms could make Apple TV a gateway to new opportunities for storytelling and artistic creation.)
That's Apple TV + ...
There is also Apple Arcade.
Apple's gaming service is already creating opportunities for dozens of leading global developers as Apple invests in content creation.
We still do not know much about what has been developed, but we will probably know more in the next few weeks and (again) it seems pretty clear that RA will be part of the company's plans.
It is possible that the company also paves the way for the licensing of components of its Apple TV hardware to others, although this is a long shot.
It ensures that its content can proliferate on other platforms by providing support for AirPlay 2 and Apple TV +, although the main beneficiaries of this content are the creators of content and the company's own content services .
In summary, is there a business opportunity for the next generation of Apple TV? If so, he will find himself at the intersection of AR, AI and the liberal arts, with a focus on collaboration, retail and discovery.
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