It's a great idea for HBO to launch HBO Now on Apple TV, because it will allow them to scale the technology of the service before full rollout--and in a really high profile way. HBO has had some real difficulties with the stability and reliability of their HBO Go platform in the past.
And our first rumor is confirmed.
I don't currently subscribe to HBO even though I have cable. I'm tempted by HBO Now, though, for reasons which are only partially practical and technical.
Apple TV going from $99 to $69, which is not great news for its only real rival, Roku.
HBO Now + $69 = Apple TV no longer a hobby for Apple
Apple TV has sold 25 million units in 9 years. That's a tiny market compared to the iPhone which has sold 700 million units in less time. Remember when Jobs called Apple TV a "hobby"?
I'd be shocked if Apple doesn't release an updated Apple TV this year
2500 banks now support Apple Pay. Almost 700,000 retail locations accept it. 40,000 Coke machines!
I think they're selling off the old Apple TVs in advance of a new one.
I also believe HBO is just the beginning of new media services for Apple.
All major car makers support CarPlay (which I'll never get in my 2014 Focus, sadly).
It does seem that there will be no new Apple TV announced. That would make our first rumor that proved false.
@HarryMcCracken: you'll get in your future Apple Car
Apple is promoting their impact on health and fitness moments after bragging about its install base in Coke machines. Can you have it both ways?
I don't think they said, rdd.
Research Kit is a software framework made specifically for medical research, it lets researchers easily create apps.
One ResearchKit will let anyone contribute to Parkinson's research by doing tapping tests that can measure hand tremors, or saying "ah" into the microphone. Also gait and balance tests.
This is a big deal. Consumer electronics companies getting into medical stuff is a huge deal in general, full of potential and possible peril.
Mass General Hospital has a glucose app; Stanford and the University of Hartford have a heart health one; Mount Sinai and Weill Cornell have an asthma one.
Wouldn't it be neat if ResearchKit built many of its tests--tapping, voice, etc--into App Store games? What if Angry Birds was gathering health data?
Dana-Farber and others are doing a breast cancer app.
Users decide what programs they participate in; Apple doesn't see the data.
No one saw this coming, right?
Samsung has also been working with medical institutions, although it doesn't have anything directly comparable to this.
"Apple will not see your data" is one of Apple's biggest differentiators between them and basically every other tech company (like Google) in the world right now. I wonder if they can/will communicate that message more overtly to the average consumer.
Google is very interested in medical stuff too. Google being involved in collecting this sort of data might be a tough sell.
Why do you think tech companies are so interested in health? For Apple, if it's not benefiting from the data, it's about extending the utility of its ecosystem
It's a great idea for HBO to launch HBO Now on Apple TV, because it will allow them to scale the technology of the service before full rollout--and in a really high profile way. HBO has had some real difficulties with the stability and reliability of their HBO Go platform in the past.
Tim Cook: "Apple will reinvent the way you watch TV, and this is just the beginning."by frankpallotta via twitter 3/9/2015 5:15:54 PM
Sign up for HBO Now in April and get first month free.. In time for GOT premiere. #AppleEventby Nicole LaPorte via twitter 3/9/2015 5:19:27 PM
Jeff Williams presenting is the biggest news in the keynote so far, and by a significant margin.by monkbent via twitter 3/9/2015 5:20:08 PM
