Orb today updated their OrbLive client for iPhone and iPod touch. Today’s update enables the ability to watch Live TV (streamed from a host PC) to iPhone over 3G and EDGE connections.
Previously, Apple has blocked such uses of the 3G network, forcing people to use Wi-Fi for such connections. For example, VoIP providers are required to force their applications to use Wi-Fi before submitting them to Apple for approval. In addition, the first release of OrbLive for iPhone also had this restriction.
Because of Orb’s approval, it may have a chilling effect on Apple’s ability to restrain others, such as Slingbox, from following suit. If Apple were to permit OrbLive to stream TV live, and block Slingbox, that would be a clear, illegal, anti-competitive business practice. Apple maintains monopoly control over what applications are published and distributed to iPhone, a legally suspect process which we have covered previously.
It may also be possible that the update was approved by mistake. Apple previously approved NetShare, an internet sharing application, which permitted iPhone to sling its internet connection to notebooks and other Wi-Fi connected devices. However, hours after being posted on the App Store, and thousands of purchases, Apple quickly removed the application. Months later, Apple informed NetShare’s developers that the application would not be permitted on the App Store.
The impact of this application is questionable, if thousands of users began streaming Live TV 24/7, it could have a crippling effect on some AT&T markets. AT&T continues to suffer capacity and local-loop bandwidth issues in some areas of their 3G network, largely due to the expanded bandwidth usage of iPhone and iPhone 3G.
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As AT&T itself has confirmed, iPhone users currently use up very little bandwidth. The capacity issues that AT&T has are real but they are issues they have to fix anyway. Limiting the true use of the network that they advertise would not be advisable when soon all other competing products Blackberry, Android, Windows Mobile will be compatible with Sling/Orb.
You have to read between the lines a bit with what AT&T has said. AT&T specifically has said that the addition of iPhone 3G and the App Store was “less than expected”. That’s not the same as saying that iPhone uses little bandwidth. And, it doesn’t mean that iPhone users did not add a significant impact to the AT&T network, and have made a major contribution to the overloading problems.
And, taking your concept to the flip side, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry all can do VoIP on AT&T’s network right now… so what’s the point in limiting iPhone? If it’s simply a barriers to entry issue, both RIM and Microsoft will have App Stores shortly, and they both allow for unsigned code.
We’re simply saying… grab the update quickly. Don’t be shocked if Apple pulls it today or tomorrow.
Orb is very cool but annoys my family at home when I change channels on them and upload speeds pretty crappy from my DSL so I started using http://parkmytv.com which is a ‘hosted tv’ service for place-shifting devices. I sent them my box and for $49/mo I now have super fast bandwidth ie. video quality, no channel conflicts and free reboots if it locks up. It’s a beta currently but accepting limited new customers, was lucky enough to get in and lovin it.
David, $49/month is outrageously expensive.
For that price, you could easily pay for a second TV receiver on Satellite (versus the cost of Cable). And, if you’re on cable, that isn’t an issue to begin with.
It would only make sense for someone who couldn’t get any form of broadband internet (including EV-DO or UMTS). And, those customers would probably not be able to stream TV over their phones anyways.
[...] or EDGE, and not AT&T’s 3G network, if they wanted App Store approval. Yesterday, though, Apple approved an app that streams live TV over Wi-Fi, AT&T’s EDGE and 3G connections. The updated version of [...]
You can still get Internet TV on iPhone without having a TV Tuner. and you can also add custom channels on your orb website page <<<that’s kinda cool for me though