Apple unlikely to surpass Microsoft in TV arena

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The late Apple founder Steve Jobs was once quoted as saying that, “It’s not a problem of technology; it’s not a problem of vision; it’s a fundamental go-to-market problem.”

Steve Jobs was too blunt on saying this not to annoy Apple-watchers. But tech guys just never took the problem of televisions future or an entertainment showcase just to seriously. Apple developers aren’t excused from this mistake even if they are trying to solve the problem with their fully integrated big-screen Apple television.

Microsoft’s approach to the entertainment future is commendable and the path they have taken is quite remarkable. It differs completely to that of their rivals in the entertainment arena. What sets Microsoft apart from their counterparts is their Xbox franchise. They clearly dominate and constantly upgrade their features.

We can’t single out one feature of the Xbox. But what we can do is to look at the constant upgrades it has over its short stay as a market giant. In the U.S. alone, Xbox consoles sold 960,000 units. Their Kinect sensors sold 750,000 units. These are both standalone and bundled Kinects with the Xbox package.

What does this mean? This implies that people don’t buy Xbox’s because of the Kinect. Though majority of those who purchased the gaming console bought it with the Kinect package, but still 200,000 individuals chose to purchase the Xbox without the Kinect. This shows that there are still thousands of individuals out there who are willing to purchase the Xbox as a standalone unit.

We can also take a look at the games selection out there for the Xbox. The titles have improved and have been on the forefront of the Xbox rampage to the top.

As for Apple’s plan for the future, we don’t have any idea. Apple is shrouded with mystery. According to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, he thinks that he knows what Apple will do telling his audience at the Ignition conference that they should wait to buy a new TV set when Apple releases it very own next year.

Many people doubt Apple’s entry on the television market. If Apple decides to release their TV, it would be a TV set that costs much higher than other HDTV sets out there in the market today. It’s not going to be a step forward but backward.