Comcast has come a long way since its start as a small town cable system in Tupelo, Mississippi. The company has a higher market value and earns more revenue each year than News Corp., Time Warner and Disney but CEO Brian Roberts isn't looking to rest on his laurels any time soon.
In a recent interview with Fortune, the executive said his company could learn a lot from another massive technology company: Apple. When asked if it was a problem that simply watching television was becoming complicated for the consumer, Roberts said one thing that Comcast could learn from Apple would be how to take really complicated things and make them simple, fun, beautiful and easy.
As the cable provider looks to the future, the executive said he wanted to be able to take the overwhelming amount of content choices which have been amplified thanks to the Internet and make them personalized. He specifically wants content to be easy to interact with and be available anytime on any device.
Existing technology like tablets are helping to make his vision of the future a reality although admittedly we still have a long ways to go. Apple is well aware of this as they have reportedly been working to get content providers to break apart television packages and go more towards a la carte or subscription-based offerings. Steve Jobs spoke with some television executives about the idea before his passing but as of yet, it doesn't appear that media companies are prepared to cede control just yet.