Apple is reportedly planning to launch a TV service, which is being perceived as more than just competition for cable companies. According to Piper Jaffray analysts Gene Munster and Douglas J.Clinton, through this service, the iPhone maker will prepare the turf to finally launch a television set, something that has intrigued analysts as well as media for a long time.
Apple TV service to open doors
At present, though Apple offers apps such as Netflix and Hulu through its set-top box, it does not offer any standalone app or service under its own brand name. Piper Jaffray analysts hold the view that a service like this will be a catalyst in the development of an Apple TV as it would give Apple control over content.
“We expect this offering to lay the groundwork for an actual Apple television, potentially announced in 2016,” Munster and Clinton wrote noted in a recent note.
The analysts stated that even though many reports have questioned “Apple’s interest in an actual television,” they view a TV as the “most logical next area of focus.”
For some time, analysts have talked about Apple developing a television set, but there is no indication about any such product from the company. For the past three years, Munster has been stating that Apple will launch its TV.
Can Apple replace traditional TV?
A recent report from The Wall Street Journal claimed that the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is designing an indigenous television service that would offer an assortment of TV networks. This service could cost somewhere between $30 and $40 per month and will include 25 channels in total, according to the report.
Apple is reportedly holding dialogues with companies like Walt Disney and Fox, but NBCUniversal has been ruled out because of a tiff between Apple and NBC parent company Comcast, claims the WSJ report.
Apple TV is not seen as a replacement for traditional TV services but can be subscribed as an additional service for some users, which may limit the growth of the product.
