Apple TV in Crisis

Among Apple's great line-up of products, there is a weak point that's the Apple TV. Although Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed intense interest in TV, Apple TV still fell short of revolutionary and was gradually marginalized, despite rising sales. The reason is that Apple TV lacked a viable strategy, and Apple TV+ alone won't save Apple TV.

The market of smart TV is dominated by Android-based devices. Google's open source approach allowed TV makers to ship smart TVs of their own. A screen integrated with Android that doesn't require additional setup boxes proved a success. Apple TV's lack of a screen may be understandable from technological point of view, that Apple only wants the best of possible TV screen technology, but without sufficient product differentiation between tvOS and Android, Apple TV makes itself appear redundant.

On another front, Apple TV is an inadequate substitute for entertainment boxes like Xbox and PlayStation. The primary shortcoming is lack of support for the gaming industry. Apple TV doesn't ship with a game controller, which definitely tells something.

Since Apple TV+ is available on a wide variety of devices other than Apple TV, the complementarity between the software service and the hardware is greatly weakened. Apple TV+ alone won't save Apple TV.

Is Apple really serious about hardware TV market, or will the tech giant be satisfied with software services?

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