Jobs may be right about Google TV
03.06.2010
Google TV could be the future of entertainment, or it could be too much effort for the consumer, says Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
When Jobs spoke about Google TV yesterday at D8, he said "nobody's willing to buy a set-top-box."
Jobs went on to give a pretty clear indictment of Google's new connected TV experience, as reported on WebProNews.
"The problem with innovation in the television industry is the go-to-market strategy - the television industry fundamentally has a subsidised business model that gives everybody a set-top box for free or for $10 a month and that pretty much squashes any opportunity for innovation because nobody's willing to buy a set-top box. Ask TiVo. Ask Replay TV, Ask Roku. Ask Vudu. Ask us. Ask Google in a few months ... Sony's tried, as well. Panasonic's tried. They've all failed," he declared.
Marc Barach, CMO of online video advertising platform Firefly Video, is inclined to agree on some points.
"We agree with Jobs and Apple that internet TV will not progress until the technology is fully baked into TV set hardware. The majority of television sets sold today do not incorporate internet technology, and most hardware manufacturers are currently more focused on 3D technology. That enhancement will take up the next multi-year cycle," says Barach.
Barach says from the point of view of advertisers this convergence will mean bringing the strengths of the internet - a one-to-one medium for marketing - to the TV, but that this is still a few years away.
"If TV as a medium is to remain relevant, it must increasingly become more interactive and individualised. We know this is still a few years away, and the question for TV advertisers is what can we do in the meantime?"
Photo: A screenshot of Google TV