More than a decade into the mainstream adoption of video streaming, the operating software platform consumers use to watch their movies and shows is still a commodity-driven decision based primarily on the TV they're buying.

This is according to Rob Caruso, director of product management for UX at Google TV, who spoke on a panel at Questex's amply attended StreamTV Show in Denver last week. (Questex pub StreamTV Insider covered the event.)

“I don’t think consumers care about the OS,” Caruso said. “I think for the most part, what still drives TV purchasing … is size and price.”

Like Roku, Samsung, Amazon and numerous other technology companies, Google is trying to control the "gateway" experience to the global living room with a TVOS platform that offers simpler, more elegant search and discovery, greater app support, more FAST channels and other features. 

But the consumer decision, according to Caruso, is still driven by TV price and display size. Good to know!

Apple has released tvOS 14, the latest iteration of the operating system found in Apple TV connected TV devices, as well as smart TVs from Vizio and other electronics brands. 

Like most OS upgrades, the improvements are in the fine details. For example, Apple’s $179 Apple TV 4K debuted back in 2017 with support for HDR10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. But due to a dispute with Google over 4K video codecs, tvOS didn’t support 4K videos on YouTube … until now, with the launch of tvOS 14, which supports the VP9 codec.

Also read: Apple TV Upgrade to Include Gaming-capable CPU, Set for 2021 Debut (Report)

The new OS offers expanded support for picture-in-picture, which was previously available only within the Apple TV app. Now it’s enabled on pretty much any app you use on tvOS devices, meaning you can keep watching what you’re watching while moving around the Apple TV interface. 

There’s new multi-user support for Apple Arcade—all games save in progress now for every member of a family, for example. 

Perhaps most notable is support for devices powered by HomeKit, Apple’s home automation platform. Apple TV users will see a live video feed from a HomeKit-enabled smart doorbell, in the form of a floating thumbnail, when someone’s at the door, for instance. 

The upgrade is available for fourth-generation Apple TV devices, including the Apple TV 4K.

Apple is expected to release the next iteration of Apple TV hardware next year. 

Update: Amazon said the sinister-appearing disappearance earlier Friday of its Prime Video app on Apple's iOS and tvOS app stores was merely the result of a technical glitch.

An Amazon spokesperson reached out late Friday with this statement: “Earlier today, there was a technical glitch that impacted the Prime Video app on iOS and tvOS devices. The issue has been resolved, and the Prime Video app is now once again available in the App Store.”

Here's our report from earlier today: 

Just as Amazon has finally buried the hatchet with Google, could it be entering another tech cold war with Apple?

As noticed by enthusiast blog AppleInsider, the Amazon Prime Video app has disappeared from Apple’s iOS app store, as well as its distribution hub for tvOS apps.

Using its trusty outdated iPhone 6S, MCN did a search in the iOS app store and confirmed AppleInsider’s report—Amazon Prime Video isn’t there.

Installations of Prime Video apps previously obtained through Apple are reported to be working fine.

Amazon reps have so far demurred comment. And as Variety noted, Apple representatives are steering inquires to Amazon.

As Variety also noted, Apple and Amazon have haggled over distribution of the Prime Video app since it was first released in 2012. It’s been steadily available on iOS since December 2017.

According to app tracker AppAnnie, Amazon Prime Video for iOS ranked as the fourth most popular entertainment app on the mobile platform as of Oct. 3.

Earlier this week, Google’s YouTube TV app debuted on the Amazon Fire TV, which was another step toward ending a lengthy cold spell between Google and Amazon. 

Comcast said a report last week that it is purposely avoiding ongoing development of its streaming platforms for Apple platforms contains “numerous inaccuracies,” and that the story “wrongly conflates individual business dealings and relationships with Sky, NBCUniversal and Comcast Cable.”

However, the statement tweeted out by Matthew Strauss, executive VP of Comcast Cable, on Tuesday did not address one of BESTAppleTV’s key assertions: that Comcast actually told Apple that in early December that it would not build a tvOS app to stream pay TV subscriptions to customers.

“Comcast’s press release talked about a litany of subjects, but did not include the phrase, ‘Yes, we are actively working with Apple and the Apple TV team,' ” noted Diffusion Group analyst Michael Greeson to MCN.

Related: Comcast Anoints Roku, Shuns Apple TV Amid Now TV Development Push: Report

Did the enthusiasts blog, which is focused more on the business of Apple and Silicon Valley, and less on the cable industry, possibly conflate some things? Maybe. But again, Comcast’s protestations don’t necessarily damn BESTAppleTV’s post on this, either.

Comcast’s streaming ventures encompass numerous platforms and two other acquired divisions, each with their own relationships with Apple. Let’s unpack these first:

1. ) There’s Comcast’s Xfinity Stream app, which streams much of the company’s subscription cable TV experience to Roku and Samsung smart TV devices, and soon smart TVs from LG and Sony. This device ecosystem, enlisted under what is known as the “Xfinity TV Partner Program,” allows users to eschew their cable box for OTT devices.

2. ) There are the multiscreen/TV Everywhere capabilities that have been offered to Xfinity TV subscribers for years that allow them to authenticate their cable subscription through the individual apps of more than 130 programming networks. Xfinity TV subscribers can watch these channels on Apple TV, as well as Apple’s iPhone and iPad mobile devices, among many other third-party devices.

3. ) And then there is Now TV, the OTT platform launched by recent Comcast acquisition Sky in Europe, which Comcast says will furnish the technological backbone of a new streaming service being launched by its NBCUniversal division in 2020. Now TV also has apps for Apple TV and devices using iOS (the operating system in Apple mobile devices).

For its part, Comcast is claiming that Apple’s inclusion in Nos. 2 & 3 prove that it isn’t dissonant towards Apple—it merely hasn’t gotten around to carving out a deal for No. 1, the Xfinity Stream app, yet.

BESTAppleTV, meanwhile, claims that Comcast had no intention of ever introducing No. 1, Xfinity Stream, into the tvOS or iOS ecosystems.

And here’s where the news site gets accused of conflating: BESTAppleTV, quoting an unnamed source “connected to Comcast,” seems to imply that the operator’s elbow grease, in regard to streaming apps, is now being shifted away from Xfinity Stream and towards the new “Now TV” app. But Comcast will keep the same distance with Apple for that app, as well.

“Comcast is focused on the Now TV solution as the future of its streaming infrastructure and Apple has been told this,” the source is quoted. “Apple has also been informed Comcast will concentrate its [U.S. Xfinity] efforts on this platform, not on adding other third-party devices to the product mix with separate apps.”

The report also stated that Comcast will take the Now TV-based platform and distribute it on Comcast-branded Roku devices.

Does the source seem wildly off-base?

Diffusion Group analyst Greeson, who was quoted in the BESTAppleTV story, said that while he has no direct knowledge of Comcast and Apple’s dealings, keeping Apple out of the loop isn’t surprising behavior for a major pay TV operator like Comcast.

“Pay-TV operators have long been tentative about building deeper relationships with Apple, so in that respect, there's nothing new here,” Greeson added. “Apple has worked to build trust with legacy operators, and just a month ago announced support for Charter’s Spectrum TV App on Apple TV. At the present time, however, Comcast appears a bit less enthusiastic about such a partnership.”

As it ramps up its development of streaming technology, Comcast will reportedly focus its plans on the Roku ecosystem and completely leave Apple TV out of its plans.

That is according to Apple enthusiasts news site BESTAppleTV, which claims Comcast informed Apple execs of this decision in a December meeting.

Reached for comment by MCN, a Comcast rep would only say. “At this time, we have not reached terms with Apple to bring our Xfinity Stream app to Apple TV devices."

However, a source with knowledge of the company's dealings said the report "conflates" an appearance of prejudice towards Apple, when in fact, Comcast has a relationship with the technology company. Notably, Comcast has a version of the Xfinity TV app for Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones and iPads. 

Also notable: For several years, Comcast has been developing a version of the Xfinity TV app for Roku that allows Xfinity TV subscribers to use their Comcast cable TV subscription outside the environment of the proprietary set-top box.

Its acquisition of Sky in hand, Comcast is now using the U.K. satellite TV operator’s Now TV technology blueprint to develop a direct-to-consumer streaming platform for both North America and Europe.

During Comcast’s fourth quarter earnings call, Steve Burke, CEO of the company’s NBCUniversal division, discussed loose plans to deploy Comcast-branded Roku devices to Comcast and Sky subscribers.

“Comcast is focused on the Now TV solution as the future of its streaming infrastructure and Apple has been told this,” BESTAppleTV quoted one source, which it described as being close to Comcast. “Apple has also been informed Comcast will concentrate its efforts on this platform, not on adding other third-party devices to the product mix with separate apps.”

Related: Charter to Pitch Apple TV 4K Box to Subs

Among streaming platforms, Roku’s is the most widely distributed in the U.S., with the company reporting 27 million active accounts earlier this month.

“This really is a no-brainer,” the BESTAppleTV source added. “It especially makes sense as Sky has a completely ready software and hardware solution for Roku that can be easily modified for mass distribution on every cable system in the country.”

The report of Comcast freezing out Apple comes after No. 2 U.S. cable operator Charter Communications announced extensive collaboration with Apple. This includes the deployment of 4K Apple TV devices to customers.

For Comcast, the “zero sign-on” capabilities of the tvOS operating system found on Apple TV devices is probably an issue. This feature automatically authenticates channels based on what broadband service it detects in the home—in other words, it basically assumes there’s a double-play or triple-play service bundle being subscribed to. 

Anointment by the No. 1 cable operator in America would mark an important victory for Roku, a now-publicly traded upstart which is competing with Apple and Amazon to be the baseline technology consumers use to access OTT content. 

Last month, Roku was dealt a blow when Apple announced that it would open its iTunes Store to smart TVs made by Samsung and other leading suppliers.  

The pomp and pageantry for the latest round of Apple’s inventions drew hordes of smartphone and tablet fans, but most eyes were watching for the technology giant’s latest gambit into the TV business.

Without a hint of hyperbole, Apple said the latest iteration of Apple TV — its new, shiny TV-connected device — represents “the future of television.”

While a bona fide over-the-top pay TV service from Apple remains a no-show (there’s still not a lot of “TV” in Apple TV), the CE giant believes its latest, greatest box is poised to transform the television business in ways less obvious, but more meaningful.

The late Apple chairman and CEO Steve Jobs famously called Apple TV a “hobby” back in 2007, when the first-generation product was launched, but comments from his successor, Tim Cook, indicate that the company is ready to take its video game to the next level and create some competitive headaches for traditional pay TV players.

“It really is the golden age of television,” Cook proclaimed at the media event in San Francisco. “As important as TV is, the TV experience itself hasn’t changed that much in decades … Today we’re going to do something about that.”

While analysts and industry watchers didn’t see the new Apple TV as something particularly earth-shattering, the platform does represent a quantum leap when compared with Apple TV’s previous generation.

A major difference is Apple’s decision to open up its ecosystem for apps that can run on the new Apple TV, which will use a new operating system, tvOS, that is based on iOS but optimized for the big screen. That should open up the floodgates for apps, creating a conduit for more over-the-top video, games and other services.

Apple has more than 11 million developers. “We can’t wait to see what apps they bring to the big screen,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services, said.

“Our TV vision is simple and provocative,” Cook said. “We believe the future of television is apps.”

That future also involves Siri, the voice-recognition technology that has been integrated into the new Apple TV, and a more-capable remote that also features a touch-based navigation interface that will let users swipe at will. Early on, Apple TV search will sift across the libraries of iTunes, Netflix, Showtime, HBO and Hulu, with more to be added later.

But what the new Apple TV has also contrasts with what it still lacks — no support for 4K, and nothing in the way of an Apple-delivered pay TV service.

Apple is reportedly developing an OTT “skinny bundle” TV service that will focus on broadcast-TV channels, but the company has been bogged down with negotiating rights to offer a service that can be offered nationally. Delayed, that offering is not expected to see the light of day until sometime next year.

By comparison, Sony PlayStat ion Vue’s multichannel-TV service currently lacks national distribution (it’s currently available in seven markets) and still doesn’t carry ABC. Sling TV, Dish Network’s OTT TV service for cord-cutters, has yet to add any broadcast-TV channels to its lineup.

ALSO MISSING: THE ‘WOW’ FACTOR

Some analysts were not blown away by Apple’s new entrant, holding that it needed a “wow” factor that can help it stand out from the pack.

“It was exactly as we expected,” Colin Dixon, founder and chief analyst at nScreenMedia, said. “This was, in my mind, a me-too upgrade. This is Apple catching up with the competition. It gets them back to parity to everybody else in the market … If I’m Roku, I’m probably taking a deep sigh of relief.”

Granted, some of the luster was off the new Apple TV before its debut, as many (accurate) details about it leaked in the weeks leading to the event.

“First and foremost, every product was foreshadowed in the press,” music-industry analyst and critic Bob Lefsetz noted in a newsletter entry about Apple’s event, which also saw the intro of the iPad Pro (and a stylus called Apple Pencil), new Apple Watch gadgetry and two new smartphones — the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

“If Jobs were still running the company tyrannically, heads would have rolled,” Lefsetz said. “Where was the element of surprise?”

Dixon found the fusion of Siri and the Apple TV interesting, but said other OTT platforms have already taken the concept further. By way of example, Roku’s crossplatform search spans at least 17 video sources, including Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, HBO Go, Time Warner Cable’s TWC TV app, Netflix and Vudu.

Apple TV’s jump onto the gaming bandwagon, a move that represents a possible threat to console makers, also mimics what’s being offered via the Amazon Fire TV and (to a lesser degree) on Roku players. Games are also expected to play a key role on a new family of devices powered by Android TV. But adding a Wii-like gyroscope to the remote could help Apple “offer some pretty powerful games with this platform,” Dixon said.

Bringing an actual TV service to the Apple TV and tightening that experience “could make it much more interesting than it is today,” though, Dixon added.

PLAYING CATCH-UP

While it’s debatable as to whether the Apple TV had fallen behind from a capability standpoint, it’s clear that it has lost ground to the competition. While Apple has shipped more than 25 million Apple TV units so far, Roku held 34% of the streaming device market at the end of 2014, giving it the lead on Google Chromecast (17 million units shipped at last count) and Amazon Fire TV, with Apple TV bringing up the rear, according to Parks Associates.

“Given the pricing, Apple is targeting a premium market, rather than market share, so we would not expect to see significant lifts in overall share of sales but would expect to see a strong showing among a premium market segment,” Barbara Kraus, director of research at Parks Associates, said.

She believes, however, that the new Apple TV could steal some gaming share from platforms such as Xbox and PlayStation if it can carve out a niche between the core and casual gaming markets.

Still, the Apple TV’s open app approach could put pressure on Roku, Microsoft, and even pay TV operators to do the same.

PRESSURE TO OPEN UP

Apple’s decision to go with an open ecosystem for the new Apple TV “is a bold statement,” Jason Flick, the CEO of You.i TV, a maker of a crossplatform user interface platform that counts Sony Crackle and Corus Entertainment among its clients, said. “It’s a blow for others that are using a closed, more template-based approach. People will need to open up. It will raise the bar quickly for TV apps.”

That could create concern for multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) pushing forward with IP-based platforms and technologies such as the Reference Design Kit, which are designed to foster innovation and help operators create systems that support their own apps as well as those from third parties.

But so far, MVPD app lineups are relatively small. For example, Comcast’s X1 platform, which uses the RDK, supports a few apps from outside developers, including Facebook, Flickr, Pandora and a new set-top gaming service offered in partnership with EA.

BTIG analyst Rich Greenfield said he believes Comcast has something to worry about, particularly when it comes to Apple TV’s revamped interface. The new Apple TV UI and remote, he tweeted, “make Comcast’s X1 look ancient.” Ouch.

CABLE CONCERNS

But if cable operators are harboring fears about Apple’s new platform and the potential OTT TV competition it represents, they are showing it in a measured way.

“Apple is another competitor for us, a serious competitor for us,” Cox Communications president Patrick Esser said soon after the debut of the new Apple TV during an interview on Fox Business Network’s Closing Bell With Liz Claman. Traditional pay TV providers and their packages still provide more bang for the buck than what consumers can create on their own using OTT options, Esser said.

“I think our product is the best value on the market, and often customers go out, and by the time they buy a number of over-the-top services, they find out that [with] our multichannel video product they actually get more for the money they pay than they do if they go and try to pull it off of the Internet,” he said.

But is Esser “dreading” the adoption of Apple TV?

“No, I’m not,” he said, though he acknowledged that the video market is more fragmented than it has ever been. He said, Cox, like Apple, has opportunities to innovate over broadband. Cox has already created over-the-top offerings delivered outside its cable footprint, including flarePlay, a subscription gaming service, and a recently released free, video streaming aggregation app for youngsters called flareKids.

But the new Apple TV could open up more doors for programmers, a group that is increasingly going over-the-top and direct to consumers, though some are still trying to make heads and tails of it.

The new Apple TV is “more exciting than terrifying … It’s a little of both,” AMC Networks CEO Josh Sapan said last week at an event in San Francisco hosted by technology website Re/code. “All of this technology means you can choose more and be dictated less by a bunch of people who work in television programming.”

Tale of The Tape: The New Apple TV

Price: $149 for a 32-GB model; $199 for a 64-GB model. Apple is still selling the older Apple TV model for $69, making it the low-end entry-level model of the lot

Availability: End of October

Size: 3.9 inches by 3.9 inches by 1.3 inches

Weight: 15 ounces

Ports and interfaces: HDMI 1.4, 802.11ac WiFi with MIMO, 10/100Base-T Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0, IR receiver, USB-C (for service and support)

Processor: A8 chip with 64-bit architecture

Video formats: H.264 (up to 1080p and 60 frames per second)

Remote: Bluetooth 4.0 wireless (for non line-of-sight), IR transmitter, researchable battery (three months on a single charge), Siri integration, built-in accelerometer and gyroscope

Content: OTT offerings on board with the new Apple TV in the early going will include MLB.tv, HBO Now, Showtime, Netflix, Hulu, Watch ABC, YouTube, CNNGo, NBC Sports Live Extra, Fox Now, PBS Kids, PBS, USA Now, WatchESPN, Watch Disney, and NHL GameCenter

— Jeff Baumgartner