Friday Apple Rumors: Roku CEO Says Apple TV Loses Money

by Christopher Freeburn | March 28, 2014 1:25 pm

[1]Here are your Apple rumors[2] and AAPL news items for today:

Slam: Speaking at Re/code’s Code/Media conference on Thursday, Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood took a shot[3] at Apple’s (AAPL[4]) media streaming box, CNET notes. Wood called Apple TV — which competes with Roku’s own media streaming box — “essentially an accessory for the iPad.” Wood added that Apple loses money on Apple TV. Noting that money-losing products are “unusual for Apple,” Wood wondered: “If you’re losing money, why would you want to sell more?” Wood qualified his remarks as being speculative. Apple has been coy about its plans for television-related technology. Rumors that Apple was about to launch its own branded TV set circulated last year, but have cooled since. More recent reports indicate that Apple is talking to cable TV providers, looking to make a deal to stream TV content to a future set-top box. The company recently gave Apple TV its own page on its online store. Most observers expect Apple to offer a hardware refresh for Apple TV some time this year. Apple TV reportedly generated hardware and streaming content sales of $1 billion last year. The streaming box business is increasingly competitive. Last year, Google (GOOG[5]) jumped into the streaming device business with its Chromecast TV dongle. Many observers predict that Amazon (AMZN[6]) will launch its own streaming device later this year.

Again: Japan’s Nikkei is reporting that Apple will likely launch two new iPhone 6 models[7] as soon as September. According to the report — which mirrors a myriad of similar rumors over the past few months — Apple will likely release one iPhone 6 model featuring a 4.7-inch display, and another with a 5.5-inch display. The latest report indicates that LCD panel production for the new iPhones will begin during the second calendar quarter at Sharp factories in Japan, with LG also providing screens for the next-generation iPhone. Other components are already in production. At least one analyst said recently that only the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 was certain to launch this fall, while the other could be released later.

New: Apple will open its first retail store in Istanbul next month[8], 9to5Mac notes. The new store will open at 10 a.m. on April 5. Apple’s Turkish customers were sent an email alerting them to the planned launch of the new Apple Store in Turkey’s largest city. The Istanbul store will feature a special “family room” and two floors devoted to storing Apple product inventories.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[9] stories.

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2014/03/friday-apple-rumors-roku-ceo-says-apple-tv-loses-money/

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