Roku proves streaming sticks don’t need the best features or UI, they just need to be cheap

Summary

Price drives consumers to choose more affordable streaming devices like Roku over pricier options.
Apple’s premium Apple TV 4K doesn’t provide enough value for a device used solely for watching TV.
Roku dominates the streaming device market with consumer preference for budget-friendly options over pricier ones.

It’s nearly impossible to get your hands on a TV that doesn’t have some sort of smart TV functionality nowadays. No matter the brand — Samsung, Roku, LG, etc. — your TV likely has an interface you can navigate through to install apps like Netflix, Max, Hulu, or whatever other streaming service you can think of. With the world moving more and more toward streaming each year, it makes sense that TVs are shipped this way.

After a while, you’ll notice your TV starts to slow down, but that doesn’t mean you need to go out and buy a new one. Instead, you can opt for a streaming stick or box that takes the burden off your TV and moves it to an external device. There are plenty of options available there, and it can be overwhelming for somebody not in the know to pick something out. While the Apple TV 4K is my personal favorite, there’s a major thing holding it back and that’s the price. And as it turns out, that is a major stumbling block for a lot of people.

Roku Ultra (2024)

The Roku Ultra has refreshed for the first time since 2021. A new backlit remote, faster performance, and Wi-Fi 6 support separate this 2024 edition from the past generation.

Dimensions: 4.9 x 5.0 x 1.0 inches
Connective Technology: Bluetooth® streaming, 802.11ax dual-band MIMO Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz), 10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Brand: Roku
Audio outputs: Digital stereo over HDMI, DTS Digital Surround pass through over HDMI, Dolby Atmos decode via HDMI (with compatible speakers)
Integrations: Works with Roku Smart Home, Apple AirPlay and HomeKit, Google Home, Alexa
Wi-Fi: 802.11ax dual-band MIMO Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz)

I replaced my Apple TV with a Roku Ultra, but I’m going back

The Roku Ultra wasn’t enough.

Price is a major factor in buying streaming devices

Value is everything

Since a current-gen Apple TV 4K costs $130 or $150 depending on the model, it’s effectively priced out a large chunk of people. The Apple TV 4K is for people looking to get the best experience possible out of their viewing, but that doesn’t apply to many people. Instead, what we’re seeing from consumers is the cheaper options are what people gravitate toward more than anything.

According to Pixelate, via TVTechnology, Roku owns a staggering 37% of the streaming device market. It’s a huge number but I don’t think it’s actually all that surprising considering that Roku has options available for budget buyers through streaming sticks, but there are also high-end options with the Roku Ultra. I understand I’m not the average consumer here as I have an Apple TV 4K, Roku Ultra, Google Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max all in my house. I have things in every price range, but data shows that if somebody is looking to pull the trigger on a device, it’s often a cheap one.

To put it into perspective, Apple only has 11% of the market share when compared to Roku, so buyers are certainly voting with their wallets. I’ve talked in the past about how it’s foolish that Apple doesn’t get into the streaming stick market to offer a more affordable option for buyers. I don’t even have any other Apple products and the Apple TV 4K is still far and away my favorite streaming device. Even the first-gen model is faster than anything else I have, and the fact that I’m not shown any ads whatsoever while my Roku and Fire TV Stick are both riddled with them is just icing on the cake.

Of course, this market share shows people value price over everything. Roku has budget-centric products while Apple doesn’t, and that has to be a major factor in why it has the market share it does. It also helps that Roku has software built directly into many budget TVs while Apple doesn’t have that. Nevertheless, I have a much easier time recommending a $30 stick to somebody instead of something that costs over $100 when the only thing they’ll be using it for is watching TV.

The rumored 4th-gen Apple TV 4K is coming at the perfect time

The 4th-gen Apple TV 4K is the right upgrade at the right time.

How can quality reign supreme?

It might not even matter to most people

A fourth generation Apple TV 4K with its remote.

Apple / Pocket-lint

It’s tricky sometimes to prioritize performance over value, and I’m guilty of that too. You see it often with technology, as there’s usually some top-of-the-line product, whether it’s a phone, graphics card, or game console, and then a more budget-friendly option. Not everybody rushes out to buy the most expensive iPhone when it releases, and that’s part of why Apple has a cheaper option available now. The same thing goes for streaming devices, and I’d bet it’s a big reason Roku finds itself with the most market share. With about a $100 difference between the cheapest option and the most expensive, it’s obvious what somebody would pick.

Instead, what we’re seeing from consumers is the cheaper options are what people gravitate toward more than anything.

I think it’s good for consumers to have options, and streamers already seem to have an uphill battle convincing the general public to invest in the more expensive sticks and boxes. Going back to the Apple TV 4K as an example, it does quite a bit to make it worth the price, but a lot of it comes in the form of things outside of watching movies and TV. Apple TV devices have access to the Apple Arcade, and you can even connect a game controller if you want to do some gaming on your TV. It’s nice to have, but it’s not a selling point for most people looking for a device like this.

At the end of the day, quality can only take you so far. Even though the Apple TV 4K is the fastest device of them all, it’s only by a matter of seconds, and if somebody can save a hundred dollars on a device and only have to wait a few seconds longer for something to load, it might not be worth the extra cost. Speaking personally, it’s worth to me it since I watch a lot of TV, but I can easily see how it’s not worth it for others. Going even further, if Apple came out with a streaming stick, that might actually make me ditch my Apple TV 4K entirely.

The best thing I recommend to anybody who asks what streaming device is best is to research what you need a device for and go from there. For most people, spending more than $100 isn’t needed at all. Instead, the cheap Roku device, as evidenced by the data, is what gets the job done. There have been rumors about Apple making an actual TV, and that would be a way to increase market share, but these same rumors suggest it won’t be a budget option. If that ends up being true, Roku and Amazon have a stranglehold on the lower-priced products, and it looks like that’ll be a tough shell to crack for any future competitor.