With improving sales and increased consumer awareness of network-sourced content, perhaps AppleTV will graduate from “hobby” status later this year. At the very least, Apple’s showing a bit of life around this initiative by distributing a customer survey. AppleInsider breaks down the questionnaire, which covers media type/origination, display devices, and audio output. I hope Apple’s also doing market research amongst tech savvy folks who haven’t made purchases to help guide them.
In other media extender news, both the SlingCatcher and Vudu have seen recent price drops. While incremental reductions are fairly typical, with the exception of Apple products, more dramatic moves often indicate sluggish sales. At launch, the Catcher retailed for $300 but now clocks in at $200. With firmware updates are on the way, Amazon’s $166 may be even more compelling.
Although Vudu is primarily a video-on-demand box, rather than what we’d typically classify as an extender, they have also “permantly” slashed prices. Originally listed at $299, Vudu now runs $149… plus the cost of movies. However, free access to YouTube, Flickr, and other Internet media is currently available as a public beta. As I’ve said before, I quite enjoy the Vudu experience. So, I hope they’re able to find success at this new price point, by licensing their tech, and/or receiving a funding lifeline.
