Mark Zuckerberg is hell-bent on transforming Facebook into a video destination. Now, he wants to run his site on every major digital device, including the Apple TV.
While the idea of a Facebook video app does not sound really interesting, for Zuckerberg, it is but necessary for the company. The app will be available on Amazon Fire and Samsung Smart TV's.
Through it, The Verge reported that users will be able to watch videos shared by friends as well as videos recommended by Facebook. Apparently, Zuckerberg's team is now running out of space for ads in its News Feed. Thus, longer videos and premium content may be a way for it to compete for the $70 billion spent annually on TV ads.
Apple taps Amazon Exec
According to Macworld, the Cupertino-based company appointed a former Amazon Executive to lead the partnership with Facebook. Timothy Twerdahl, the new Vice-President of Apple TV, is set to bring "something bigger" to the company. Twerdahl, who was hired earlier this month, was the head of Amazon's Fire TV unit.
Obviously, the iPhone and the MacBook have always been the priority of Apple. However, with the growing importance of streaming media and smartphone-home applications, the Apple TV is moving to center stage.
Well, both Apple and Facebook are about to enter a competitive field currently ruled by Netflix. Per BuzzFeed, the former is unlikely to be a direct competitor but Facebook's ambitions are still unclear.
"I see video as a mega trend on the same order as mobile. We're going to keep putting videos first," Zuckerberg said.
"[We'll] make it easier for people to capture and share video in new ways," he added. Facebook declined to say whether it will license content or create proprietary shows for the app and what role ads will play in its programming.
Apple TV release date & price
The new Apple TV is expected to debut this year to tie in with the product's 10th anniversary. Unfortunately, no official statement has been released at the moment. Nonetheless, below is the timeline of previous Apple TV launches:
- First-gen Apple TV: January 2007
- Second-gen: September 2010
- Third-gen: March 2012
- Fourth-gen: September 2015
Based on that, it would be reasonable to expect the fifth-gen Apple TV to appear in 2018 or even 2019. It is expected to retail higher than the upgraded fourth-gen Apple TV, which starts at £139. Meanwhile, the third-gen Apple TV sells at a lower price of £59.
