• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, September 2, 2015

For years we have heard rumors that Apple is getting into the “content” business. But what does that mean, exactly?

Stories about Apple becoming a pay TV provider or a hands-on developer of TV shows or movies, have fluttered and then fizzled.

Apple started iTunes as a mechanism to access content digitally -- sans advertising -- initially to help boost sales of the iPod. More recently, it started up Apple Music to compete against the likes of subscription music services like Spotify.

Apple moved more slowly with Apple TV, again to access digital contents/apps for traditional consumption on TV sets. The newest effort, Apple TV 4, will include voice recognition for remote control functions, according to reports.

Both these efforts have their place -- but a small place. Apple’s big revenue generators are technological devices. By way of comparison, Netflix is on the other side of things as a digital media company that buys, creates, and houses movie and TV content. It isn’t in the “device” arena. Netflix competitor Amazon wants to do both -- and much more.

Apple, which sees much of its big revenue growth from iPhones and iPads -- less so with other electronic devices -- has been crazily savvy in figuring out what the next big thing is. Is it finally sensing that TV-movie content is just that? New rumors say so.

Creating TV shows and movies isn’t for the faint of heart.  Creators have to stomach wild risks and failures.  Is this part of Apple’s corporate culture?

Also for years there were rumors Apple would be looking to build TV sets, the most ubiquitous consumer electronic device. But that also seems on the back-burner now.

Is that because Apple can’t find a way to build TV sets into a ground-breaking new product, one that would that need to include TV content?

My bet is that Apple is looking for a firmer stance in the device/electronic world before moving into any movie/TV content venues, in a way to provide more differentiation from competitors.

Though Netflix  had a big head-start in the fast-moving so-called “over the top” entertainment industry, Apple is in no rush to make a copycat original programming statement.