Apple Inc is not quite synonymous with affordable tech products, but there’s a report suggesting that the Cupertino-based company is planning to launch an affordable TV streaming dongle. The said dongle will apparently be targeted largely at the affordable segment, which is currently dominated by Amazon’s Fire TV Stick and Google’s Chromecast. While even Apple has a streaming device, the Apple TV, which was updated and launched in September last year, it is way pricier than the competition.
Apple TV can very well be called a premium device, and the latest model supports 2160p playback and works with standards such as HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Apparently. a frugally priced dongle has been part of the internal discussions at Apple, an NDTV Gadgets report says. The dongle is speculated to set the pitch for the upcoming video streaming service that is likely to take on contenders such as Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.
While Apple TV might have a loyal customer base, the price gap with the competition is too big, it seems. Apple TV carries a starting price tag of Rs.17,430 while the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is priced at Rs.4,999. The report, citing research by Parks Associates, says that the ownership of streaming media players has grown from about six per cent of US broadband households in 2010 to 40 per cent at the beginning of 2018.
Moreover, the technology giant is also planning to bring a dedicated app for smart TVs that would work for its original content. The content is expected to be available for free for viewers who own Apple devices. However, this is mere speculation and only an official statement would clear the cloud over the new developments at Apple.
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