Advertising. It’s everywhere. You literally probably can’t go a few seconds without seeing some form of it in your everyday life and it’s no more relevant then when you’re parked on the couch watching television. It appears however that Apple is attempting to pull a magic trick out of it’s sleeve when it tries to launch it’s long awaited iTV/television service. Yup, you guessed it, Apple is hoping to pull off a technology that will allow it’s viewers to skip through commercials and ultimately pay the media companies for those skipped views.
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First a Recap
Everyone is familiar with Apple and Apple products. I would bet you’re probably hard pressed to find someone you know or associate with that doesn’t own an iPhone, IPad, Mac or some Apple product. While the company has long had a heavy footprint in our everyday life it’s been long rumoured that they will influence consumers that much more with the launch of an anticipated iTV/Apple TV. It’s not as if they haven’t influenced television, their Apple TV still is one of the more popular set top boxes on the market. Despite the success of the device there hasn’t been a lot of talk surrounding an updated model which is why many experts are fully expecting Apple to transition to an actual TV.
The Apple iTV is Coming
For the longest time there was nothing more then rumours but most have known it’s only a matter of time. It’s been over a year now that Apple has been seeking the rights from cable companies and television networks to offer up a service that would allow it’s users to watch live and on demand television…possibly even ad free.
As of late news has been heating up and the latest rumours suggesting that Apple could offer a premium service to allow users to skip ads is just another long line of ideas being thrown around. Perhaps the big question is would anyone be willing to pay such a service? We’ve already got the DVR and most of us are already accustomed to fast forwarding through commercials while watching television. I can’t wrap my head around how Apple expects to skip ads on live Television…after all it’s live! I suppose the only idea I could have is no ads would run? Perhaps the patent Apple was granted last year could offer a clue. It describes the technology as one that could swap in a different stream of video during the commercial break.
Still one would think advertisers have to realize that people are watching less and less commercials thanks to the DVR. There may be a new market out there. It’s a risky idea and Dish Network has tried something similar earlier last year only to be slapped with a lawsuit for it’s trouble.
The Future is…Grey
Apple has been a major player in changing our lives with it’s technology. While the iPhone and iPad have it’s competitors out there one shouldn’t forget what the launch of each device did to change how we use technology. The question now remains on whether or not we will see the same for the television market. It’s no secret that a lot of companies are reluctant to let Apple into the TV world but there is no doubt it’s coming…whether that’s from a full fledged television or a fancier set top box will remain to be seen. Everything has been tight lipped about it but there is no secret that they have been working long and hard to launch a more ambitious service that offers live television while tying into it’s iTunes and App stores. Would a feature like Ad skipping be enough to persuade you the consumer though to pay a subscription fee and (most likely) a high price point on the device?
