The Living Room PC

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse#announcements/detail/2145128928746175450

The living room PC is going to be the next major consumer electronic device. We already have smartphones and tablets which are extremely popular because of their convenience. There is a great market niche for a PC that is as simple to operate as a DVD player. Consumers will connect their living room PC to their television to watch Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, and other content that is easy to interact with. Video games will also be a driving force, especially with the large library of PC games consumers can play. The console market is a stagnant, closed environment compared to what PCs can do. The only reason the living room PC is not mainstream is the business model; the average manufacturer sees it as a niche market with slim profit margins. But hardware is getting cheaper and will soon hit a critical turning point when it becomes cheap enough. Valve has the same business model as the console manufacturers: they will use this product to sell more video games and profit from promotions with video streaming services. I would bet Apple has plans for this too because they have massive leverage with their iTunes and App library. If consumers are shy about purchasing a somewhat expensive living room PC, manufacturers can compensate by including $50 of credit for whatever distribution service comes bundled.