Apple Inc. has revealed its latest improvements to its range of products, including the Apple Watch, iPad, iPhone and new Apple TV. The products, especially the Apple TV upgrade, have the potential to create new revenue streams and expansion on new market niches.
The Apple TV is in this regard perhaps the most important announcement as it is expected to bring the company into the realm of console gaming. For long Apple has neglected this market niche and has left the domain to competitors such as Sony and Microsoft.
In Apple's product line, the Apple TV has long been an afterthought. A sleek and small set-top box providing access to online streaming has become lately very trendy on the market. Providers such as Hulu and Netflix offer consumers a home-theatre front-end to Apple's own iTunes and Music offerings. The Apple TV still functions in a similar way as it did when it was first launched in 2007.
The publication Business Insider has interviews several leading Australian tech entrepreneurs for comments to the news.
According to Christopher Lowe, lead developer at Kojai, he is most excited about the prospect of Apple's 3D Touch feature for the iPhone 6S. He added that this function will add input dimension, going beyond the limitations of the past to interact with the touch screen by tap, swipe and pinch gestures. This new "hard-tap" gesture will bring increased functionality to many apps. Games and maps apps like Kojai can benefit from this new hardware.
The powerful interface with the internet senses their context and provides an improved user experience. An improved camera is a welcomed addition for social media applications and the extended battery life is also useful for customers constantly using their phone.
Another Australian tech leader, Phil Morle, co-founder and CEO of Pollenizer declared that he thinks the new Apple TV will be a game changer for the industry. According to him, the Apple TV really consolidated several trends partially realized by others and it is really the future of television. The multi-screen experiences will be the best possible and that will finally dissolve the boundaries between TV the Web.
