Apple TV isn’t nearly as popular as some of its competitors

With how much everyone’s talking about the Apple TV, you’d think that it was the most popular streaming device on the market at the moment, but that’s far from the case. Video games consoles like the PlayStation and the Xbox are actually the dominant, non-mobile streaming devices out there, but as far as set-top boxes go, Roku devices are the most popular, accounting for about 10% of the streaming in the United States, while Apple TV accounts for a mere 3.6%. 

When it comes to streaming set-top boxes, the Apple TV may get most of the attention, but it’s not the device used by most in the US for streaming video. According to a new study by the research firm Parks Associates, the Apple TV only accounts for 3.6% of all video streaming to televisions in the US, while its biggest rival, Roku, accounts for nearly 10% of streaming. But even more interesting, video game consoles like the Xbox and PlayStation are the most popular streaming devices for TVs. The study broke down streaming by brand, lumping all models of the Apple TV, Roku, and video game consoles together. This doesn’t mean the Apple TV is a flop. The device received its first major update in five years just a week ago, and it wasn’t included in this study. Meanwhile, companies like Roku and Amazon have been regularly updating their devices about every year or so, which has given them the advantage. The new Apple TV is also the first model to include Apple’s App Store, which has standard streaming services like Netflix, shopping apps like QVC, and casual games like “Crossy Road.”