Apple TV without iTunes is like PB minus the J
Apple TV was launched the other day but without one essential component. iTunes is still not available in Korea.
For what its worth, the lack of real-time streaming and synchronization between Apple TV and iTunes appears to be a hole in Apple Korea’s strategy. Without the seamless integration, consumers have to store videos in their PC or Mac firsthand to view them on Apple TV-connected widescreen TV, rather than enjoying the real-time.1 However Apple TV is still a great idea for a nation that is crazed with the “Mee-d” trend. The latter is an abbreviated term for American TV shows2 that are avidly followed by Koreans.
Strategically, the product has a great opportunity to do what nobody local has done, which is a hardware device with seamless integration with an online store of over 400 movies and 350 TV shows in near DVD quality; over 4 million songs; 5,000 music videos; 100,000 podcasts; and 20,000 audio books. Apple Korea can break the industry if it ever chose to by making available the American TV shows directly to the consumers themselves.The local cable broadcasters without any direct competition has been reactively slow in purchasing the licenses and in broadcasting 1-year delayed episodes that incidentally has already been watched by the masses. The Korean consumers are downloading still-hot-off-the-presses episodes through unofficial means, and with a network of volunteer translators putting together the subtitles…presto!
Apple Korea, are you listening? Make iTunes available.
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