Apple TV

Ever heard of Apple TV? Many have not. This is because even though Steven Jobs helped upend so many businesses with a string of ground-breaking products in music, mobile phones, games and tablet computers, he barely made a dent in television.

Under Jobs, Apple dipped its toe not much into the television business with Apple TV, a set top box for accessing Internet video. The product has been one of the rare disappointments in its line-up, especially when compared with smashes like the iPhone and i Pad. But many in the tech industry contend that television is ripe for technological makeover and the next big challenge for Apple, after the death of Jobs is likely to be in that area. And surely why not, it’s a big area that Apple hasn’t yet colonized.

In the meantime, companies like Microsoft have started to take a stronger leadership role in helping to push the technology of television forward, as Apple did in areas like music and phones. TV is such a tantalizing part not only because people spend so many hours watching it, but also because the industry overall has been slow to innovate except perhaps in making screens larger. In particular, the consuming public is still waiting for television content- everything that people watch- to be delivered over the internet in a convenient and affordable package on all the devices that people are now using.

One big reason for Apples failure to gain traction in television is that Apple TV has not had a compelling source of TV and movie content that allows the product to stand out. Although its iTunes store is stocked with many popular shows like “Glee” and “Sons of Anarchy,” network and movie studio executives have hesitated to make all of their content widely available at attractive prices, in large part over concerns about angering cable companies, a big source of their revenue, and their pipeline into living rooms.

In August, Apple discontinued an iTunes rental service that allowed viewers to rent television episodes for 99 cents through the store for watching on devices like Apple TV, saying that consumers were not interested in renting episodes as in buying them.