“Forget Apple TV. AirPlay Is Apple’s Sneak Attack On Television” (Gizmodo)

A new industry analysis piece on Gizmodo, Forget Apple TV. AirPlay Is Apple’s Sneak Attack On Television:

The wild card, as usual, is Apple’s willingness to play nice with non-Apple standards. Since Apple has to approve the licensing for every AirPlay certified device—just like the lucrative “Made for iPod” scheme of years past—they could, in theory, require manufacturers to disable any streaming protocol except AirPlay.

I think Apple might refrain for two reasons: Third-party manufacturers still have to sell their hardware—the more capability a device has, the better—so I expect there may be some push back if Apple becomes too covetous; Device-to-device streaming isn’t exactly an everyday occurrence for most consumers. Apple, with millions of iOS devices already in hands of customers, might not need to disrupt other streaming standards if AirPlay becomes the dominant format quickly. History implies a better than average chance.

Still, it will be hard to fight Apple if they turn the screws. As BridgeCo’s Gene Sheridan said to me, “Just to participate in the Apple ecosystem is a big opportunity by itself.” There are companies out there making millions just by selling Apple accessories. Being first in the AirPlay market—docks for content—might be worth billions.