Full FeedAppleTV…Take 3?
The guys over at TG Daily brought up an interesting point today about the AppleTV. Eventually, it will receive a software update, as most Apple products do. But they think the next software update, Take 3, will also bring a hardware revision.
The AppleTV has never been the hit that the iPod was or is, but it’s not a failure either. In fact, sales this past quarter have tripled since a year ago. Tim Cook continues to state that the AppleTV is more of a hobby for Apple than anything else, but it’s becoming quite a big hobby for them.
It’s hard to tell if TG Daily has any real sources, though it seems like they have some information since they think we could see this sometime in February. They also have a list of things that they think would benefit the AppleTV greatly. Browsing through the list makes me think this is a little more of a dream than a rumor. Let’s see that list.
- Full HD and DVR capabilities - Full HD seems likely, but the DVR bit…well, hold on for the next point.
- Built in TV tuner - As much as I want to see this happen, and even though TV is right in the name, I just don’t see it happening. Apple has this thing called iTunes where they can sell you TV episodes, instead of you just recording them for free. What would you do if you were Apple?
- Built in Time Capsule and Airport Extreme - Also seems unlikely, but I like the idea. I’m not sure how many people have their Internet access piped into their house right behind their TV, but I’d buy one if it had this.
- Premium TV channels via the iTunes Store - What, do they think Apple is all of the sudden like a cable company? They have the iTunes Store, I’d really be surprised to see this one.
- The App Store - Turn the AppleTV into a casual game console? I don’t mind the idea, but I like the thought of Boxee being less grey area. Plus, we’d see tons more apps, making the AppleTV more of a real computer.
And I think the last comment sums up why I’m not expecting to see most of this from Apple. They already have a product that basically does all of these things. It’s called a Mac mini with an Elgato EyeTV dongle and an external hard drive.
I think the AppleTV could use some upgrades on the hardware side, but I honestly don’t know what Apple is willing to do with it. Time will tell.
Via [TGDaily]
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This is my first comment on this site. (Great site, by the way… I visit frequently).
I finally broke down and bought an AppleTV this past year. I’ve been using it quite a bit, despite having lots of digital HD channels. After a long drought, we got some channels up here, in Canada.
Full HD and DVR capabilities, built in TV Tuner, and an App store would be great. I would get a new one.
I’d love to be done with the god-awful menus on my Scientific Atlanta HD Cable box. The TV Tuner with DVR alone would be worth the upgrade.
The thing that I could most interesting about the article, however, was the idea of the App store. This could be brilliant. Imagine: I’m interested in local weather, news, my stocks, maybe some casual games like Bejewelled, Scrabble, or Bookworm. I’d love to have an interface for this. The internet on my living room tv has always felt clunky – whether it’s been on my Macbook Pro hooked up to the tv, the Nintendo Wii, or my PS3. I feel that there is a difference between the passive viewing of TV and the closer interaction with a computer; introducing an app or widget based interface could do a lot to bridge that gap. Now if there’s TV, and iTunes rentals added to that mix, then I’d probably dance from joy, recession be damned! I’ve grudgingly conceded that Windows Media Center is the best option out right now. Apple TV is great, but it’s severely lacking in options. A little spritz-up to the interface and some killer options like this could really make it a contender.
I don’t get all the hype about Boxee, by the way… I’ve installed it on my Apple TV and it’s the ugliest, laggiest interface ever.
on January 24, 2009 at 12:13 AM - LINKHey MisterK, thanks for your comment, and thanks for reading. I appreciate it very much so.
I completely agree that an AppleTV with these dreamy features would be absolutely amazing. But in order to really overhaul the AppleTV and make it truly awesome, it has to have a TV tuner with DVR-like capabilities built into it and I just don’t see Apple doing that while they have all of these contracts to put shows on iTunes.
But if they did… I think they’d have a hard time keeping them in stock. An AppleTV with a TV tuner and a web interface for things like widgets (possibly an App Store) would be killer. Instead of just watching TV, you would actually be watching AppleTV. Regular TV, only with widgets and style. I don’t think anyone has truly bridged the gap between the TV and the computer/Internet, but if anyone can do it, it’s Apple. The possibilities here are endless, and I truly hope I’m wrong about Apple stance on the TV tuner.
on January 24, 2009 at 12:30 AM - LINKI have been saying for a while that I see the Mac mini and AppleTV colliding. They may still keep two products out there, but it makes sense for the AppleTV to get beefed up and become a living room computer.
on January 24, 2009 at 01:28 AM - LINKI agree that adding TV Tuner capabilities would be great… maybe if they just opened up an API and let elgato or equinox add on to it they’d be less culpable. I find it hard to believe that apple would endanger their existing contracts w/ content providers. Hell, how many years did it take for DRM-free music on iTunes?
I believe they have to realize that there are other codecs out there and they need to support them natively, as well as simply file sharing vs. solely sharing via iTunes. In addition, maybe they should just improve FrontRow and encourage 3rd party add-ons.
In regards to the Boxee comment above, you obviously have/had your MBP attached to your TV. Most of us do not have a computer (proper) attached to our TVs (especially in the living room, maybe in our own office/playroom) and ATV gives us a sort of wife-approved device that does not need any technical know-how in order to turn on, use, etc. My wife would hate to see a boot up/login, click icon on desktop to start w/ crappy remote, etc… Boxee adds to the simplicity of ATV to several Web sites—I give 3 cheers to them for their efforts and look forward to future enhancements. I, for one have abandoned my PC-based BeyondTV DVR in favor of Boxee on my living room TV. Why record when you don’t have to?
on January 24, 2009 at 11:03 AM - LINK