Will This New Streaming Device Replace Your Apple TV?

As the push toward streaming continues, another player is getting in on the action with the Xumo streaming box. This is part of a joint venture between Comcast and Charter, two cable giants, and it will come with all the apps you get with your current streaming boxes, such as Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix. On top of that, you'll largely get the same features offered by current competitors, like voice searching, live video, and a favorites list. What makes this box different is it's going to find its way into your home much easier than something like an Apple TV will.

Spectrum subscribers will be given the device free of charge for the first year, and Xfinity customers can get a bundle that includes the Xumo box. This represents a perfect way to get the box into homes and give people a chance to see if the box is for them or not. Whether people stick with the Xumo box remains to be seen, but it's shaping up to be a strong competitor on the market if it infiltrates enough households. Will it be enough for you to ditch your Apple TV box? That is going to be a tougher sell.

Much like Apple, Comcast, and Spectrum are household names for many people. The two companies provide cable and internet to millions of customers across the United States, and getting Xumo streaming box into those houses will be huge. The biggest room for growth will likely come from people who don't use a streaming box at all. There can be a variety of reasons this is the case — owning a smart TV, still using cable, or not being interested in Netflix originals are just a few that come to mind.

If those people get their hands on a Xumo box, they might change their thinking and commit to the new device. For another demographic, the battle will be flipping somebody from the Apple ecosystem into a new one. The Apple brand is very strong; if you own one Apple device, chances are good you own more. The Apple TV streaming box is one of the best devices on the market at what it does, and that's why it often comes out ahead of its competition from Amazon, Google, and Roku.

With Xumo being a new player in the industry, there will likely be some growing pains that we often see from devices when they first hit the market. The 2015 Apple TV, despite being the fourth model overall, still had a lot to improve on, for example. That doesn't mean we'll see Xumo fall into the same hole, but it's certainly an uphill battle.