Let me buy this! the REAL Apple TV

Apple's abandoned project for a physical TV set in 2011, envisioned by Steve Jobs, aimed to revolutionize content consumption with voice control and a seamless user experience. Despite promising early development, technical challenges, market conditions, and the lack of a visionary leader after Steve Jobs' departure, ultimately prevented its launch. However, Apple's current Apple TV platform and services incorporate some of the original concept's core elements, suggesting the project's influence on Apple's current streaming strategies.

Apple TV set plans

• 00:00:34 In 2011, Apple secretly developed a physical TV set under Steve Jobs' leadership, intending it to be a revolutionary product that could change the way people consume content through features like voice controls and a seamless user experience. The set was designed to have a modular design and utilize facial recognition for security, using OLED technology, which was not common at the time. Apple's plan was to change how people consume content on their televisions by integrating features like smart recommendations and iCloud integration for photos and music.

Project cancellation

• 00:05:23 The Apple TV project was ultimately canceled due to various factors, including technical hurdles, the rapidly evolving TV technology landscape, the high cost of TVs, and the lack of consumer demand for smart TVs at the time. The lack of a clear visionary leader after Steve Jobs' departure was also a contributing factor. It was deemed too costly to produce and failed to offer a compelling reason to change the way people interacted with their TVs, highlighting the limitations of technology in 2011.

Impact of Apple TV set plans

• 00:09:55 Had the Apple TV project launched successfully, it could have significantly reshaped the streaming landscape. The integrated Apple hardware and software likely would have made it a prominent streaming platform, potentially hindering the success of devices like Roku. Apple's established digital media presence through iTunes could have enabled them to strike major streaming deals, controlling the user experience and potentially revolutionizing the landscape as they did with the iPod, creating a subscription-based streaming platform well before Apple TV+.

Apple's current Apple TV

• 00:06:28 Although the Apple TV set never materialized, aspects of its original vision have been incorporated into Apple's current Apple TV platform and Apple TV+. The current Apple TV successfully delivers a high-quality content experience and leverages the existing ecosystem of iPhones and iPads, fulfilling a portion of Steve Jobs' vision of a seamless content consumption experience. The abandoned Apple TV project highlights Apple's forward-thinking vision and provides a glimpse into the company's evolving approach to streaming content.