61–70 of 211 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The price of dumb TVs has also fallen dramatically.
Can you even get a dumb TV anymore? I found it surprisingly difficult when I replaced mine 2 years ago. So far I've been OK with simply not plugging it into the Internet.
I don't buy this reasoning. Tablets and phones supposedly replaced laptops and desktops (or so I've heard), yet the prices for those hasn't really budged in the past couple of decades.
>But the most interesting and telling reason for why TVs are now so cheap is because TV manufacturers have found a new revenue stream: advertising.
How big can the subsidy possibly be? If Facebook's average revenue per user is $25/year, and a TV lasts 5 years, that's at most $125 of subsidy per TV. It's probably order of magnitudes lower if you factor in costs for running the advertising platform, that you really can't show that many ads as Facebook (it can show a sponsored story every few stories, TV producers can't inject an ad every few minutes), and probably have worse targeting.
> Automakers, for example, can now expect to see bigger profits from the loans they make on selling cars than from selling the actual cars I've heard of that. Then I heard dealers will give you a hard time if you want to buy a car right out, some will even run your credit without your permission. I don't have the money to go buy a new car right now, but it's pretty sad that saving up and paying for things is so disco…
A few years ago my parents walked in to a Toyota dealership to buy a new Camry with cash. They were talked into financing it, bought it, then got home and realized they should have just paid cash. The next day they went back to the dealership to pay it off and the guy who gave them the loan was a huge asshole to them the whole time.
Exactly the reason why I wish Apple introduce Apple TV Set. Or partner with LG where they sell the panel with a cable attached to Apple TV. Instead we now have AppleTV App that lives inside the Android TV ecosystem, and requires Internet connection which automatically sends data to who knows where. And I dont like having two remote to control my TV.
If your devices support HDMI-CEC[1] — my new-ish TV does, as does a Yamaha receiver I purchased several years ago — your Apple TV (and therefore its remote) can control everything.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Control
"The trade-offs for cheap TVs is that customers are themselves becoming the product for TV makers [...] For something to be as cheap as a great TV, people have to give something up — whether they know it or not." Just never give the TV its own direct connection to the internet. Use another device that you do trust, to feed the big screen its content.
Wait until these companies partner with Comcast to get default access to the ever present Xfinity public hotspot. Sure you might deny it privileged to your network but for a profit share I might let it access mine.
Exactly the reason why I wish Apple introduce Apple TV Set. Or partner with LG where they sell the panel with a cable attached to Apple TV. Instead we now have AppleTV App that lives inside the Android TV ecosystem, and requires Internet connection which automatically sends data to who knows where. And I dont like having two remote to control my TV.
> And I dont like having two remote to control my TV. If your devices support HDMI-CEC[1] — my new-ish TV does, as does a Yamaha receiver I purchased several years ago — your Apple TV (and therefore its remote) can control everything. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Control
If Apple made a box or a set of them with a proprietary interface that competes with CEC I would buy in a heartbeat.
CEC is working well at my house. But for six months earlier this year, the Apple TV remote could no longer power up the sound bar. One day it started working again. But I live in fear of the call from my wife when it just stops working entirely and she can’t figure out how to turn the TV on, much less the sound system.
>With less demand for actual TVs, there’s less reason for manufacturers to price them even more highly. I don't buy this reasoning. Tablets and phones supposedly replaced laptops and desktops (or so I've heard), yet the prices for those hasn't really budged in the past couple of decades. >But the most interesting and telling reason for why TVs are now so cheap is because TV manufacturers have found a new revenue stre…
Where prices continue to be high is for business laptops, where people will pay a lot more money for a little bit more performance (and better build quality, lighter weight).
I remember a time when a half decent laptop was $1500.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you even get a dumb TV anymore? I found it surprisingly difficult when I replaced mine 2 years ago. So far I've been OK with simply not plugging it into the Internet.
Yes. Sort of. You can buy a commercial display, the kind used for digital signs. But, those probably cost 10x more than a consumer TV.
Here's someone who made a list -
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/10/why-is-tech-getting-c...
https://imgur.com/gallery/W3ouE
Every year everyone gets richer and better off, although it'd be nicer if the true poor got a little more sped up.