Posted by Richard Kastelein in Breaking News on June 02, 2010  |  1 Comment More from this author  |  Website  |  Follow Richard Kastelein on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

All Things Digital has published an interview with Apple's Steve Jobs yesterday from the The Wall Street Journal’s D8 Conference which contained a few interesting nuggets from the cranium of Jobs on Google TV and the future of TV in general.

7:54PM Q: Hi, I'm from Hillcrest Labs... do you think it's time to throw out the interface for TV? When will Apple do something there?

A: The problem with innovation in the TV industry is the go to market strategy. The TV industry has a subsidized model that gives everyone a set top box for free. So no one wants to buy a box. Ask TiVo, ask Roku, ask us... ask Google in a few months.

7:56PM Steve: So all you can do is ADD a box to the TV. You just end up with a table full of remotes, a cluster of boxes... and that's what we have today. The only way that's going to change is if you tear up the set top box, give it a new UI, and get it in front of consumers in a way they're going to want it. The TV is going to lose in our eyes until there is a better go to market strategy... otherwise you're just making another TiVo.

7:57PM Q: In the phone area you were able to partner with a carrier... would you do that with TV?

A: Well then there's a problem, providers are local... it's a Tower of Babel problem...

Kara: Everyone, Steve Jobs!

7:58PM And that's that! Time for dinner! Thanks for reading!

The weird thing is here - is Google IS partnered with Sony. And Will likely get into bed with Samsung (according to the Korean Herald) and possibly other TV and Consumer Electronics (CE) players.

They are doing a dual STB and Connected TV play. Which totally makes sense. Because if Google can get the ergonomics down and can get the convergence nailed right, every "Joe Bloe" who sees it in action on his friend's new Google connected TV does not have to buy a whole new set - he can simply get the box.

I don't get it? And this somewhat discredits the recent leak on a new Apple TV by Engadget somewhat. Jobs says Apple TV is still a 'hobby'.

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Arnold Waldstein said:

... Hi Richard I'm puzzled as well...and Steve's answer doesn't do much to give us confidence. On the other side and I'm showing my Apple Fan Boy colors here is that I don't want to count Apple out. I'm a believer in Open and I like what I read about the GoogleTV push...I'm just not convinced that they get GUI and customer service and us, the customer. And certainly, not social. Their model is advertising and they can build product after product and whatever works, builds the ad space. Apple gets the customer. They choose a core piece of the puzzle and get it right for the biggest slice of the population. Using my new iPad...I'm amazed... and sold on it. They sell one every three second BTW and hampered as we know by supply. So, what's the answer...don't know. Who's the winner going to be...all of us. Seeing this crashing wall of Cable and Networks and putting the customer in control from their couch is something that we've all waited for a long time.

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