Roku CEO Blasts Apple TV As A ‘Money Loser’

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The next version of Apple TV may allow you to take your viewing with you wherever you go. Photo: Apple
The next version of Apple TV may allow you to take your viewing with you wherever you go. Photo: Apple

Apple TV may have scored sales of $1 billion in 2013, but that hasn’t stopped Roku CEO and founder Anthony Wood from branding the device a “a money loser” and questioning why Apple would want to keep selling it.

The comments were made at the inaugural Code/Media event on Thursday, hosted by technology site Re/code. They arrive at a time when Apple is reportedly preparing a new version of the Apple TV that will integrate with Comcast’s network to provide users with a streaming TV.

Wood’s comments were as follows:

“Apple TV is essentially an accessory for the iPad. They lose money, which is unusual for Apple. If you’re losing money, why would you want to sell more?”

Wood’s comments do, of course, come as a marketplace competitor to Apple TV. Nonetheless, the Roku CEO claims that,”We’ve been competing with Apple TV for six years now, and every year, we’ve grown. We’re in the TV platform business. Our goal is to be the operating system for TV.”

He went on to tell the audience that sales of the Roku doubled after Apple dropped the price of the Apple TV from $249 to $99 two years ago.

A report published in August indicates that the Roku is beating Apple as the most-used set-top box in the U.S. Apple’s refreshed Apple TV will reportedly feature an emphasis on gaming, alongside a major interface overhaul.

Source: C/Net

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