For nearly 30 years I have--largely because of my father's disdain for the company--been avoiding purchasing Apple products. I'm typing this blog on my hp tablet pc. My Samsung phone sits (only somewhat smart) next to me. My mp3 player is a Sansa. That said, I have finally taken a bite of the forbidden fruit. To more easily watch Cardinals baseball, I purchased Apple TV, through which I can stream mlb.com games. The current position of Apple TV highlights the struggles going on within the film, television, and technology industries. Apple TV can stream content from content such as your mlb or nba subscription (for less than buying the cable package), youtube, radio, various podcasts, Netfllix, your other Mac devices, and itunes. It lacks a traditional internet interface, so no hulu (so you have to pay for the same shows you could see online for free). While the folks at Mac are starting to be a little more flex regarding the use of other (non Mac) content. The recent addition of Netflix streaming and mlb (etc.) content illustrates some compromise on the part of the Mac folks, but only time can tell if this company who has truly cornered the market on "gadgets" will be willing to relinquish some control as to make them more desirable to the viewing, streaming, etc. public. Again, this also drives home the notion that companies aren't just "giving the people what they want." They're giving the people what can best simulate satisfaction while maximizing the profit margin for the company in question.
No comments:
Post a Comment