DVR – Apple TV’s Secret Weapon?

Despite the fact that the MacBook Air or the iPods are more popular than the Apple TV, this one may have a hidden potential, estimated to be huge by the analysts. I guess you probably heard about this already, but let me remind you that Apple's latest digital video recording patent filling is boiling hot, as we speak. Do you see the link?


Basically, the third generation of the Apple TV is expected to have DVR capabilities, so for only a small difference in manufacturing price, Apple's niche media hub business may turn into a solid source of revenue, some say it may worth even a few billion dollars annually!

American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu said the DVR features that may arrive in the next generation of the Apple TV can help moving from just a "hobby" to serious business:"We estimate AppleTV to be a very minor contributor today at ~0.3-0.4 percent of revenue or $100-125 million annually. We believe adding the ability to watch and record live TV could turn this into a billion dollar, if not multi-billion dollar business."

Since these are only rumors based on a patent filling, there's still a pretty long road to the DVR-enabled Apple TV, but I think this must happen by the end of the year. If you have a different opinion, please feel free to share it with the rest of us, don't be shy!