Is Apple Working on Streaming Device to Rival Amazon’s Fire Stick?

Apple could launch its streaming stick along with an affordable service that’ll work on non-Apple devices.

Streaming devices are slowly becoming the go-to medium to watch web content on the big screen. This demand has been catapulted by products like the Fire Stick from Amazon and Google’s Chromecast to some extent. Pretty soon we might see Apple entering the fray with its own streaming device that is likely to go behind your television.

According to reports, the streaming device (probably called the Apple Stick) could bundle Apple’s rumoured streaming service and work as an affordable option compared to the Apple TV for consumers.

Pricing is going to be crucial for this product to succeed, especially with Apple finding it hard to compete with similar products from its competition with the bigger streaming device.

Bringing down the size of the device (compared to the Apple TV) could work out perfectly with respect to price and its use case. With growing internet consumption, especially in markets like India, a streaming service is definitely headed to become the future of digital viewing.

Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video and Hotstar among others have benefited from this trend, and having compatible hardware for streaming will be imperative. But just like every other Apple product, the exclusivity to its ecosystem could be a make or break for this affordable streaming device.

Unlike Android TV from Google, Apple’s tvOS platform only works with televisions from high-end brands like Samsung, Sony and LG among others. For the rumoured streaming device from Apple, likely to be priced in the sub $100 (Rs 7,300 approx) bracket, flexibility to use will be a prime ingredient for the product to succeed. It will also need to launch an app that’ll work on all platforms, including its own.

With Apple expected to launch its streaming service in 2019, we expect to hear more about this device which will come across as the perfect Amazon Fire Stick rival. Hopefully, Apple won’t take the high road and price this device akin to its existing premium product range.