Video may represent next big Apple push, say execs
updated 01:40 pm EDT, Fri October 30, 2009
Tablet to preference movies, TV over books?
Video is likely to be the next big focus of a lot of Apple's digital content, reports RBC Capital's Mike Abramsky. The analyst recently spoke to three Apple executives, including CFO Peter Oppenheimer; the VP for iTunes and Internet services, Eddy Cue; and finally David Moody, the VP for worldwide Mac marketing. The executives note that video is seen as the next "exploding" opportunity after music, but that it is currently being hampered by several obstacles.
These include the industry's complicated rights system, which often places sharp restrictions on how and where video can be sold or used. Apple must also compete with companies offering subsidized video and hardware, the executives add, and discover what the right "offer" is for the consuming public. The Apple TV is still considered a marginal product, though it may be poised to do well given market trends.
A notable claim is that Apple is not enthusiastic about online books and newspapers, as a result of the structure of the publishing industry. Such a statement conflicts with media reports, suggesting that the company has been actively courting publishers with the aim of putting e-books on its forthcoming tablet. Fortune argues that the device may thus be more oriented towards video playback, in addition to handling music, apps and web browsing.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2009
really!
Ya think the company that rents movies on iTunes and sells something called Apple TV and has video editing built into a freakin phone just MIGHT push into video? You're a visionary, I say!