Consumers Are Ready
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6. Apple is confused
Apple seems to be confused when it comes to living room
entertainment. Steve Jobs said at his company's event on Sept. 1 that consumers
don't want all the bells and whistles that services like the Google TV offer.
Instead, they want simplicity. Apple is certainly providing that simplicity.
But by doing so, it's leaving far too much functionality on the table. It's a
mistake. And it speaks to what little Apple really understands about the living
room.
7. Consumers are ready
Consumers weren't necessarily ready for set-top boxes a few years
ago. Bandwidth speeds were too low, content wasn't all that compelling, and
services such as Apple's iTunes were holding much of the average consumer's
attention. But today, all that has changed. And people are looking for ways to
do more in their living rooms. Google has realized that and plans to capitalize.
8. Ubiquity is key
A key component in Google TV is
that it will be available on a slew of different devices. In fact, it will be made available
on set-top boxes, in televisions and elsewhere. That alone should give Google
the upper hand in the space, and drive development for the product. Ubiquity
could be Google's path to success.
9. It can be built into televisions
As folks who currently use services such as Netflix and Pandora on
televisions now know, having content built into a television is a fantastic
experience. According to Google, its entertainment platform will also be built
into televisions. In fact, Sony has already signed on to offer Google TV in one
of its sets. That's good news for Google and it's even better news for
consumers that want to cut the clutter in their entertainment center.
10. The market is there for the taking
The set-top box market is undecided. No single company has been
able to attract user attention to dominate that space. Apple hopes to do it
with the Apple TV, but the chances of that happening seem slim. It seems far more likely that Google TV will reign supreme. And that will be due in main part to the company's unique and
viable vision.
