Apple usually skips CES but is making its presence felt at the show through companies like Samsung and LG.
Apple’s finally opening up its services to TV makers — and it’s doing so at CES .
Apple’s never had an official presence at CES, opting instead to host its own flashy events to launch its newest products. While Apple often has executives roaming around the massive electronics trade show floor, it doesn’t have a booth or host a press conference in Las Vegas. And it almost never releases news related to CES products, even though various companies will show off new speakers, cases and other products that work with iPhones and other Apple devices.
This year, though, marked a stream of announcements from TV makers partnering with Apple on iTunes, AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. The goal for the Cupertino, California, company is to bring its content to more living rooms — just in time for the expected launch of its long-awaited streaming video service. It’s doing that by integrating its services into televisions that will hit the market this year.
« Apple is starting to think more cross-platform and cross-device for its services, which is definitely a good thing, » Technalysis Research analyst Bob O’Donnell said.
Faced with slowing iPhone sales, Apple has to find a new way to make money, and expanding services is one of its biggest bets. That includes the rumored launch of a new video streaming service in early 2019. Over the past year, Apple has deployed a $1 billion budget to develop content from high-profile film and television stars, including Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, M. Night Shyamalan and Steven Spielberg. The company has hired two top executives from Sony Pictures Television to lead the effort.
Keeping its upcoming video streaming services exclusive to Apple devices would limit the number of potential users. After all, not everyone who has an iPhone has an Apple TV. If Apple wants to win over customers in their homes, it has to make its services available on more electronics they use. That includes TVs from Samsung, LG and Vizio that were announced this week at CES.
The number of households with a streaming player has quadrupled in the last five years, according to Parks Associates, but Apple trails Roku and Amazon in market share, and it seldom discounts its pricey Apple TV. That means its Apple TV costs at least $149, or as much as $200 for a 4K version with lots of space for downloads. Roku and Amazon streaming sticks are available for as little as $20, and some people rely on their smart TVs for accessing content.
« From a services perspective, it’s not just about Apple TV, » Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi said. « This is about consuming content whenever, wherever people want it. »
CES, with its flood of news about everything from TVs to fancy bread-making robots, marks a smart place to make a splash ahead of Apple’s actual streaming service launch.
