Apple says ‘future of TV’ is apps, but what about original content?

Apple Inc. made its case on Wednesday for its highly-anticipated, new and improved Apple TV, which will hit stores in October.

“We believe the future of TV is apps,” Apple  Chief Executive Tim Cook said. Well, they’re not the only company taking that road, and the competition will be even steeper for Apple given the overhauled Apple TV’s steep price tag — it will set you back $149 for the 32-gigabyte model and $199 for the 64-gigabyte version.

That compares with a slate of much cheaper connected-TV boxes from some of Apple’s chief rivals: namely, the Roku, Amazon.com Inc.’s  Fire TV box and Fire TV stick, and Google Inc.’s  Chromecast and Nexus Player. Here’s a price comparison:

Device	Price
Roku	$49-$99
Amazon Fire TV	$39-$99
Google Chromecast	$35
Google Nexus Player	$79
Apple TV	$149-$199 (Newest model) / $69 (Older model)

There are also other devices that allow viewers to stream video content on their TV via apps, such as Sony Corp’s  PlayStation and Microsoft Corp.’s gaming consoles.

Apple recently lowered the price of its current Apple TV box to $69, but the new and improved product it unveiled Wednesday is a big bump up from that previous model — and boasts capabilities missing from its rivals.

Apple TV will come equipped with Siri compatibility, which allows for voice-activated commands, a motion sensor-powered remote and its own operating system, tvOS, which will allow developers to build apps for the TV.

Also read: Everything from Apple event: iPhone 6S, Apple TV with Siri, iPad Pro

But there are some who believe Apple still needs to do more to push the envelope, especially as companies such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu look to write their own future of TV — one that revolves not around apps, but around original and exclusive online content.

“For Apple TV to succeed it will have to give people what they already want on a TV: TV shows,” Forrester analyst James McQuivey said. But for that to happen, Apple needs to strike deals with the companies that own the shows everyone wants to watch. “From my conversations with them, Apple along with Google are the two companies that nobody wants to give that content to,” says McQuivey.

Check out: Apple set to join exclusive-content contest before Netflix, Amazon run away with it

The other clear option is for Apple to make its own content — a strategy that “Netflix denied it would ever do until the day that it did so,” according to McQuivey. There have been rumors Apple is in talks with Hollywood executives, but so far Apple itself is mum on the issue. Yet, given the questions surrounding its ability to acquire content rights on its own, McQuivey believes original or exclusive content could be Apple’s “only hope to really make a dent in the world of TV content.”