CNN Money did an interview with Apple Senior VP Eddy Cue to talk about Apple TV. The interview was split into two parts.
NOTE: The linked pages are set to AutoPlay, which is why I did not embed the videos here. My two cents: AutoPlay is awful, disrespectful to your audience. Turn it off.
The first part of the interview focuses on the basics: apps and the app ecosystem, the remote, Siri, and the overall interface, with a focus on search.
The second part of the interview is a little more Eddy Cue, a little less packaged and, frankly, I found it a lot more interesting. The focus was more on the possibilities for app developers, as well as the Apple TV as an add-on, rather than a replacement to your set top box.
Fascinating question at the end:
Do you think Apple TV needs exclusive programming in order to thrive?
A party line answer from Eddy, but a great question.
Watching these videos, I definitely get the sense that Apple is all-in with the Apple TV, that this is just the beginning of something truly great.
Really sad about the cord cutter part. I am one, and use my Apple TV almost exclusively to watch things. It’s so disappointing to get a new channel on it, and then have to hide it because I don’t have a cable subscription. They should be leading this revolution.
I think time will be the force of change. As more people cut the cord, or in some cases never attach the cord, channels will be forced to offer their content exclusive of a cable contract. HBO and Showtime have already started offering their content sans-cable, and I believe more will as the number of cable subscribers drops.
So, what Apple is pushing is a PS3 with a swipe-pad remote, but without all the games or a controller. The expensive model is $199 with 64GB of storage while a 500GB PS3 is $249 with controller and The Last of Us. There is also a giant game catalog.