Apple sold more than 2 million Apple TV units in Q4 2012, which is about 60 percent higher compared to sales during the same period a year ago, the company said today during its quarterly earnings call.
And while those are relatively impressive sales figures, it seems clear Apple has no idea what to do with the Apple TV.
“What was a small niche at one time of people that love it is [now] a much larger number,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook of the Apple TV during the call. “It’s an area of intense interest for us. There is a lot we can contribute to the space. But I don’t want to be more specific.”
AI Weekly
The must-read newsletter for AI and Big Data industry written by Khari Johnson, Kyle Wiggers, and Seth Colaner.
Included with VentureBeat Insider and VentureBeat VIP memberships.
I’m not sure I buy Cook’s awkward comments, especially since Apple has been saying the same thing about Apple TV for quite a while now. A product that is selling well without lots of marketing and has lots of potential is something worth talking about.
That doesn’t mean Apple isn’t interested in delving further into consumer TVs, but it could mean that the company has reached a brick wall in terms of what it can do with the Apple TV set-top box.
Cook shot down a question about Apple’s interest in producing a company-branded television set from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, a long-time proponent of such a device.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Learn More