Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s new TV product must be “more thoughtful” if the tech giant is going to improve customer retention, or at least that’s what analysts at Barclays believe. In a report issued to investors on Wednesday, Barclays analysts gave us a preview of what could be on tap for the Apple Television product.
The rumor mill has been heating up in recent weeks as analysts, shareholders and investors look toward the next few years with great expectations for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s next big innovation. Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) (NYSE:BCS) analysts believe plans for the Apple Television could be released sometime in 2013. They expect the product to be “a fully integrated television set, set-top box or home media hub.”
Apple already offers an Apple TV product, which gives users access to streaming content and plays it on their television set. Barclays said if Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is going to move further into the television industry with this new product, it must come through a wider variety of “services and software with an integrated ecosystem, not by hardware.”
Analysts said they believe Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is putting together some type of service that combines iOS, iTunes, iCloud, and other content that would turn their Apple Television product into a sort of “tablet on your wall” that’s always on and that can display messages from various sources, including texts, Twitter, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), and even email.
Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) (NYSE:BCS) said the current Apple TV box could be used to stream and control Apple-driven content, while the iPhone, iPad, and other iOS devices could become the remote controls for the entire system. They even see Siri being integrated into the system, enabling users to say what they want to see on the device and have it appear in moments. If Apple is able to wrap all of these components and services into one television product, then the result could be a TV “with the ability to work like a Mac when needed.”
Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) (NYSE:BCS) analysts say the most important takeaway from their report isn’t the setup of the Apple Television that they envision. They believe that Apple’s ability to retain customers lies entirely in whether the tech giant can make its iOS devices into remote controls for anything and everything inside the home.
After all, if your iPhone did everything, would you switch?
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