Roku continues to trounce Apple TV
The gap between Apple TV and Roku is continuing to get wider only its not in Apple’s favor.
According to the latest research data, Apple TV is getting absolutely dominated in the streaming set top box race. As its top rival Roku inches closer to towards taking over half of the market, Apple TV is still struggling to crack into top 3 streamers. And the future isn’t looking too bright.
The latest data from Parks Associates reveals that Roku’s market share grew from 30% in Q1 2016 to 37% Q2 2017. Amazon’s Fire TV and Fire Stick players helped it capture the number two spot with 24 percent while Google held onto third place with 18%.
Apple TV struggles to gain marketshare
Apple’s higher priced box hasn’t been able to catch up. Costing nearly five times as much as a Roku device, Apple TV saw its share drop to just 15% this year.
“Roku emerged early as a U.S. market leader for streaming media players, and the company has held firmly to that position,” said Glenn Hower, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates. “Higher-priced devices, such as the Apple TV, have not been able to keep up with low-priced and readily available Roku devices, which can be found at Walmart for as low as $29.99.”
An update for the Apple TV is rumored to be in the works for this year. It may not help win over new customers though as it will likely cost somewhere in the same price range as the fourth generation Apple TV.
The new Apple TV could be revealed as soon as next month during the iPhone 8 keynote. Details about new features have been scarce but it will likely support 4K video in two different color formats. It may also come with a coaxial cable input so users can ditch their cable box.