A new report by Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey claims Microsoft is beating both Apple and Google in the battle for streaming services and hardware in the television market.
The report, according to the New York Times, says Microsoft"s Xbox platform has a substantial lead over Apple TV and Google TV, based on McQuivey"s metrics. Two of the metrics McQuivey used to reach this verdict are the library of content available to users and the amount of time spent watching that content. McQuivey states those metrics indicate a Microsoft dominance in the television space:
Using those metrics, Microsoft is in the lead, offering everything that matters: a growing content library, a convenient engagement path for millions of existing Xbox 360 owners, and a growing ecosystem of partners and developers eager to exploit the platform for their own purposes.
About half of the 66 million Xboxes sold worldwide are connected to the Internet, McQuivey estimates in the report. Microsoft currently offers numerous television and video services through its Xbox Live platform, including Verizon FiOS, HBO Go, Comcast Infinity, Netflix and Hulu, among others.
Apple is rumored to be working on a television, which could launch in 2014, although the same source that confirmed the television was in production later denied making those statements.
McQuivey also has a suggestion for the continued success of Microsoft"s television services, saying the company should open it up to more developers to increase the gap between itself, Apple and Google. "If Microsoft understands what they’re sitting on, they will open that platform," McQuivey told the New York Times in an interview.