Roku CEO Says The Apple TV Loses Money
by Brent Dirks
March 28, 2014
The streaming video hardware market is getting pretty crowded. Along with the rumored revamped Apple TV, Amazon is widely expected to unveil its own device at a media event next week.
But Roku’s CEO and Founder, Anthony Wood, isn’t worried. According to CNET, he had some harsh words about the current Apple TV:
"Apple TV is essentially an accessory for the iPad. They lose money, which is unusual for Apple," he said Thursday, speaking at the Recode conference here. "If you're losing money, why would you want to sell more?"While other big-name companies like Google have entered the market, Roku isn’t standing still. It announced a new version of its Streaming Stick earlier this month. The $50 device plugs directly into a TV’s HDMI port and can access more than 1,200 channels of movies, TV show, news, sports, children’s programming, and more in 1080p. The device is now available, and has garnered generally positive reviews. And Wood said that more competition in the arena has even helped to increase Roku’s sales. It will be interesting to see how Apple responds. The revamped Apple TV in development sounds like a big step up, but its unknown when Apple will release the device. For other news today, see: Readmill Confirms Dropbox Acquisition, Announces Shutdown Date, 6 Apple Products Just Itching For An Update, and That's Right, Microsoft Is Paying Apple 30 Percent Of All Office 365 iPad Subscriptions.