Today in TechWSJ: Apple developing a set-top box for your cable provider
Consider your living room of the future. You walk in from a hard day's work, and after a few household chores, you decide to unwind watching the latest episode of "Community" or some other similarly amazing show. But wait, did you remember to check your DVR settings? Is it "On Demand" yet? Nevermind all of those worries of current-day cable TV watching — they could all be a thing of the past if Apple gets its way. According to The Wall Street Journal, the computer giant is in talks with cable operators to revolutionize the way you watch TV forever, replacing your existing cable box with new Apple hardware.
But wait, you say: Apple has already released an Apple TV device. That's true, but this wouldn't be just an Apple TV with a Comcast sticker on it. This new box would completely change your cable experience. Your Apple-branded service wouldn't have you flipping through page after page of TV schedules. Instead, your Apple TV box would be able to stream new episodes directly from the cloud as soon as they air live. Essentially, the line between DVR and live TV would be erased. And it'd be a lot easier to find and watch the shows you love: The user interface would be a lot less like your current cable box, and a lot more like that on an iPad.
Apple's vision of cable TV would involve a number of changes to the way cable companies operate. Namely, operators and networks would need to concede rights to their programming and make it available for web-based viewing. Your cable bill might become completely different as well — Apple could use its considerable weight to force a switch from a channel package model to an àla carte one.
If this smells a bit like a gambit for competing with Google Fiber, the Apple rival's revolutionary new high-speed data network that includes a Google-ized version of TV. But while Google Fiber is definitely being sold for its mind-blowing internet speeds, it appears that Apple wants to compete on the other side of the equation, building a consumer-friendly television experience that changes preconceived notions of watching cable TV.
[via The Verge]
This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca
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