The Netflix Price Change Affect... Part II

My advice for any disgruntled Netflix user is simple.  Its time to start looking elsewhere for your media intake. 

Netflix is going to take the inevitable hit in subscriber numbers, which could halt revenue thus affecting their future growth.  This growth is so critical to their future success, as their most important task is giving the user the media they want, and purchasing that media is going to continue to be more difficult.

For the consumer, your decision over where your media consumption is going to come from should be based on one thing: where can I get the largest catalog of programming.  That is simple, an Apple TV.  

I’d recommend to anyone trying to decide what to do, to purchase an Apple TV, for the reasons as follows.  I know I can be categorized somewhat as an Apple Fanboy, but I’m more than willing to point out their flaws.  With this device, there is just to much there already and to much potential for growth.

My Reasons…

1. Its $99.
No need to elaborate here.  The device is cheap. One time fee, only additional costs will be through rentals, purchases or subscriptions.

2. So easy to stream from your iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad or Computer
Apple makes it insane easy to stream from your devices to an Apple TV.  If you plug your Apple TV into your home stereo, its as simple as pressing a button within your Music Player app, and sharing whatever is playing with your Apple TV.  That means you can hit play on your iPhone, enjoy the music through your home stereo, walk around with your phone still, and use it as a remote when you want to change the song. 

This fantastic feature also works with any videos or images you have on your devices.  Simply press a button and your videos or images will play through your flat-screen television.

3. Rent or Purchase almost anything through iTunes
Apple already has a great marketplace for purchasing or renting quality content.  Purchase and download a TV show or movie before you get on an airplane, and let your iPhone or iPad entertain you during your flight.  With the coming iCloud, the ability to access your media is going to be even easier, so having an Apple device already hooked up to your TV and connected to your WiFi, will allow you to access all of your media easily on your television.

4. Something is coming…
As I’ve discussed previously, Apple has a large & growing stack of cash.  It seems inevitable that Apple will make an acquisition.  Apple could purchase Hulu, for relatively cheap, and garner important relationships with the major television networks.  Even if they don’t, if Apple makes a dramatic and aggressive move into the TV market, the major networks will have no choice but to make a deal.  Apple is going to continue to dominate the devices markets, and with that many eyes linked to their products, media companies will work with them.

Apple already allows you to stream Netflix through your Apple TV.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Netflix backed on their “one dvd to your home a month” requirement, and just sold a cheaper streaming service only package.  So if you can’t live without Netflix, Apple and Netflix might have plans in place to make it easier to continue to access that content through an Apple TV.

5. The App Store
Through discussions with iOs developer friends of mine (Ora Interactive, check them out), its seems like Apple is already in the process of working on letting developers develop content for the Apple TV.  Everyone is familiar with the already 425,000+ apps in the Apple App store, so who wouldn’t want to play ‘Angry Birds’ on their TV, while using their iPhone or iPad as a remote!  It wouldn’t be as cool as this video, but it would be close.  This would give media companies an even easier way to reach its customer base.

The possibilities of the Apple TV are endless, and Apple has just scratched the surface thus far.  I see Apple’s next push to be into your living space, making it insane easier to access media, access your files, and enjoy the process of doing so.

So for the consumer, my best guess is that Apple will have the largest marketplace of the content you want to watch over the next 5 years.  This is the question the consumer needs to ask: where will I be able to see the most programming?  Like Apple has done with every other product, I think there’s no where to look but an Apple TV.  Netflix, might not have an answer.