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TECHNOLOGY Saturday 29 July 2017
Why you still can’t ditch your cable box

By TALI ARBEL cable service in Boston TV on a TV, you probably
AP Business Writer called Stream, designed need a gadget like a Roku,
NEW YORK (AP) — Not that for phones, tablets and a Chromecast stick or Ap-
long ago, the clunky cable computers and aimed at ple TV. These don’t have
box looked like it was on its younger users. At the time, monthly fees like cable
way out. The federal gov- the company said it would boxes do.
ernment was pressuring roll out to all users by early COMCAST: THE BUNDLE EF-
cable companies to open 2016. Stream remains lim- FECT
up their near-monopoly ited to Boston and Chica- Even without these apps
on boxes to more compe- go, although Comcast said made broadly available,
tition, and industry leader Wednesday that it’s going Comcast has been able
Comcast promised apps to roll out a revamp, “In- to draw video customers
that could render some stant TV,” aimed at digital via its upgraded cable-box
boxes obsolete. users, in the second half of system, X1, which has in-
That was then. Today, the the year. tegrated Netflix and is ex-
vast majority of customers This Wednesday, May 30, 2007, file photo shows a cable box on The company says net neu- pected to add YouTube. It
still need to rent a box to top of a television set in Philadelphia. trality rules and regulators is also a master at getting
get full service from cable Associated Press under the Obama admin- customers to pay for more
providers, and those box- new FCC chairman, Ajit although customers still istration hindered Stream’s than one service.
replacing apps remain Pai, shelved them perma- need a cable box while the rollout. It wants the FCC In the second quarter,
elusive. Here’s what hap- nently. service is in “beta.” One to spike these rules , which Comcast lost 34,000 video
pened. The industry is no longer more drawback: Using the bar internet providers from customers, a deeper loss
DITCHING THE BOX pushing its app proposal Roku app won’t be free if favoring their own content. than last year. It added
In 2015, tech companies with the FCC, said Brian customers want it to work CABLE-BOX FREE TV GA- customers for the full year
and consumer advocates Dietz, a spokesman for the with more than one TV. LORE in 2016, its first annual in-
were pushing the Federal cable lobby group NCTA. The Samsung app remains The cable lobby is right to crease in a decade. Over-
Communications Commis- And he noted that some under development. point out that there are all, cable and satellite TV
sion to open up the cable- cable and satellite compa- In 2015, Charter and Time plenty of box-free TV apps have lost 4 million custom-
box market. The goal was nies have launched apps Warner Cable started of- available. Like Comcast’s ers over the past two years,
to let you buy a cable box that let customers watch fering apps that could Stream, they’re just not re- says research firm SNL Ka-
the way you’d pick up a video without a cable box. replace cable boxes in ally aimed at the 94 million gan.
new smartphone, sparing WHERE, OH WHERE, ARE some markets. Nearly two traditional cable and sat- Comcast’s internet cus-
you the expense of leasing THOSE APPS? years later, Charter says ellite customers stuck with tomers rose 175,000. Rev-
them from cable compa- But most cable TV custom- it’s now “testing” such an box fees. They’re for “cord enue from the internet arm
nies for about $6 and up a ers still need a box. The app, Spectrum Stream, in cutters.” could get a further boost if
month. industry has little motiva- nearly all markets. (Charter Online-cable services from Trump’s FCC rolls back net
The cable industry and Hol- tion to get rid of rented bought Time Warner Cable Dish, Sony, Hulu and You- neutrality rules, as expect-
lywood hated the FCC’s cable boxes or to keep its in 2016.) When the app was Tube let you watch live ed.
February 2016 plan to “un- promises without pressure requested in New York City, TV and record it for later. Comcast is also opening
lock the box.” They pointed from regulators, said John a customer service rep (AT&T’s DirecTV Now’s DVR new lines of business, such
out that TV-watching apps Bergmayer, senior counsel pushed a more expensive hasn’t launched yet.) as a new cellphone service
were already available — of the public advocacy traditional “triple play” TV, These services don’t fully that started in May.
more on that below — and group Public Knowledge, in internet and phone pack- replace traditional cable The film and theme park
laid out an industry propos- a filing to the FCC. age instead. service. Major channels businesses in the NBCUni-
al for new apps that could Comcast said in April 2016 AT&T, the owner of DirecTV, aren’t always available, versal arm also grew sharp-
replace cable boxes. that it was working with and Verizon have no apps there have been some ser- ly during the quarter.
Amid industry pushback, Roku and Samsung to de- that can replace boxes en- vice quality glitches, and Net income rose 24 per-
the FCC’s proposed rules velop apps that, later that tirely for traditional cable they’ve only attracted an cent to $2.51 billion, or 52
languished ahead of the year, could replace cable and satellite TV service. estimated few million sub- cents per share. Revenue
2016 election. Afterward, boxes. And it did start test- Separately, in 2015, Com- scribers. increased 9.8 percent to
President Donald Trump’s ing a Roku app in January, cast launched a box-free To watch internet-based $21.17 billion.q

Apple kills iPod Nano, iPod

Shuffle as music moves to phones

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — mains alive, though. Apple out in 2005 as less expensive
The iPod Nano and iPod plans to continue selling its and smaller alternatives to
Shuffle have played their internet-connected iPod Apple’s standard iPod. The
final notes for Apple. Touch. In a show of its com- Cupertino, California, com-
The company discontin- mitment to the iPod Touch, pany stopped updating
ued sales of the two music Apple doubled the storage the Nano and Shuffle sev-
players Thursday in a move capacity of its top-of-line eral years ago.
reflecting the waning pop- model to 128 gigabytes. Apple has long predict-
ularity of the devices in That version costs $300. An ed iPods would gradually
an era when most people iPod Touch with 32 giga- fade away as more people
store or stream their tunes bytes of storage sells for bought iPhones or other In this June 11, 2015, file photo, from left, an iPod, iPod Nano
on smartphones. $200. smartphones capable of and iPod Shuffle are displayed at an Apple store in New York.
The iPod product line still re- The Nano and Shuffle came playing music.q Associated Press