Apple TV STB Gets a Push

QuikIO, maker of an application that lets mobile devices access, download or share media files via Wi-Fi or 3G/4G, has added support for Apple TV, so that any PC and Mac user can watch video or listen to music on an Apple TV via AirPlay (News - Alert). The move adds further wings to speculation that 2013 will be a banner year for Apple TV as the behemoth from Cupertino will be pushed into upgrading the set-top streaming box.

Brightcove CEO and Jeremy Allaire (News - Alert) said in a recent blog that Apple will be forced to solidify its role as the go-to platform for content and apps. And the way to do that will be with a $149 upgraded version of the apple STB that has more coherent functionality, he postulated.

"The company ... needs to find new $30 billion+ per year businesses to keep up its pace of growth and value creation," Allaire wrote. "The key is to introduce a product franchise that defines the consumer experience, owns the extension of the app platform into the TV, and captures as many users as possible, as quickly as possible – while taking enormous share from an established, multi-hundred billion dollar per year industry."

To that end, any revamped version of the device should connect to nearly any existing TV, to leverage the legacy install base—not just flat-panels. "This is crucial for quickly establishing and maintaining platform dominance and even stand-alone could be a $5-10 billion opportunity," Allaire noted.

Meanwhile, the ongoing third-party development of apps like QuikIO can bolster the user uptake proposition. For its part, “QuikIO has rapidly become a number one download in many countries with tens of thousands of users and growing fans exponentially,” said Michael Chen, QuikIO CEO and co-founder. “In response to the high demand by the QuikIO user community, we have added Apple (News - Alert) TV integration. QuikIO is the first iOS app to let you to share and play your HD video within five seconds anywhere, anytime.”

What sets QuikIO apart from the current AirPlay capabilities on Mountain Lion is that it does not require screen mirroring to view media. QuikIO users can multitask on an iPhone (News - Alert), iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC while streaming content from the QuikIO app to a screen using Apple TV.

After a user signs into QuikIO using Google, Facebook (News - Alert) or an e-mail account, he or she can then choose video, music, photos and documents from a library to instantly stream to an iPhone, iPod touch and iPad from a PC or Mac. Users can also choose to share files with others with a “Quiksend” invite. The service does not store personal content in the cloud, and only other QuikIO users who receive QuikSend messages can view content for a limited time, so the media is kept private, the company noted.

The QuikIO app will be available for free of charge initially but with then will be priced at 99 cents for the iPhone and iPod touch, and $1.99 for the iPad and iPad Mini.