“It’s still a mystery as to why Steve Jobs and company continually ignore Apple TV, referring to it as ‘a hobby.’ Being one of the biggest names in tech and unstoppable in the field of portable media players, Apple is in the position to become the leading name in the future of media centers,” Schuster writes. “If it could do half of what the iPhone did for the cell phone market, we’d all be ditching our DVD players in favor of terabytes of video files on a heavy-duty Apple TV. Instead, dozens of cheaper and more capable devices trounce Apple’s abomination in benchmarks and performance. Even Microsoft’s Xbox 360 loaded with XBMC — formerly known as Xbox Media Center — allows for better video management.”
Schuster writes, “However, since none of these devices carry the coveted Apple brand, they’re unable to sway the public from relying on physical media to watch their shows and movies. Jobs’ hesitance to include Blu-ray drives on Apple laptops seems like he’s open to ditching physical media, but there’s yet to be a follow-through. The company only needs to put their spin on existing technology — as well as actually advertise the thing — and they’ve found a brand new billion-dollar seller.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Steve Jobs doesn’t strike us as much of a TV watcher, so don’t underestimate the fact that he just might not know exactly what to do with Apple TV.
“You watch television to turn your brain off and you work on your computer when you want to turn your brain on.” – Steve Jobs
Jobs might have to suck it up and give up some control to someone who consumes and therefore understands television the way Jobs seems to consume and understand music. Or, maybe, Jobs has some grand plan for which all the pieces are not yet ready. If so, it’s taking quite a long time. Really long.
That said, we’ve had Apple TV units since they debuted, of course. We use our Apple TVs for various functions, not the least of which are renting movies and purchasing TV shows that our horrible TimeWarner-provided DVRs miss or cannot record (most especially during NFL football season in the U.S. when schedules get pushed back, but TimeWarner’s stupid DVR’s can’t handle such, or any, changes. Half-recorded “Amazing Race” episodes — don’t judge us — just have to be the leading cause of iTunes Store sales of “Amazing Race” season pass sales. And, yup, we’re tired of seeing Andy Rooney pissing and moaning about the loss of typewriters, mimeographs, and bottled milk delivery instead of teams frantically screaming at taxi cab drivers and each other while racing around the world when we click “play” on our shiteous DVRs). Yes, we need to get TiVos, we know, we know, we know!
So, we do heartily recommend Apple TVs with the caveat that Hollywood seems intent on restricting its usefulness by limiting the feature film catalog and, especially, what can be rented, when, and for how long. For all other functions: music streaming, photo viewing, etc. the Apple TV is a wonderful device and, bottom line, well worth the price Apple is charging.
An aside: Most people don’t have TiVos because of the price (upfront cost and subscription fees) and/or they don’t understand the benefits that TiVo offers over the absolute junk DVRs that their cable providers offer. We have the money to cover TiVo’s costs and the understanding of the product’s benefits and we still haven’t gotten up off our asses to get our TiVOs. Beyond suggesting that we’re lazy (or very busy, we add hopefully), this also suggests that TiVo’s business model is broken or at least not working as well as it should be. Perhaps TiVO would be better utilized by more people if Apple bought the company or licensed the technology and integrated TiVo into Apple TVs. Imagine being able to push the stuff you’ve recorded via your Apple TV’s TiVo out to your Apple iPods and iPhones (even if only via WiFi to start; AT&T’s network might not be up to it, you know)? Maybe Apple getting TiVo or offering their take on the DVR is what we’ve been waiting for, subconsciously? TiVo Inc.’s market cap is $1.19 billion. While a nice chunk of change, that’s nothing that debt-free Apple, with over $34B in the bank and a market value over $170B, couldn’t swing with total ease, if they’d even notice that they spent it. The TiVo brand name alone has to be worth something significant and its inclusion could refocus people’s attention on Apple’s poor little red-headed stepchild, Apple TV.
What do you think, should Apple buy or license TiVo? And, if they did, would the content producers, of TV shows especially, have conniption fits (the threat of which is maybe why it hasn’t happened already)?
All Apple TV needs is more content and possibly 1080p.
Imagine if every episode of every TV show were available on Apple TV. Why would you then need a DVR?
Imagine all the movies you want to see are available on Apple TV. Why would you need a DVD or BluRay player?
Apple is working on more content, but it’s an uphill battle with the studios.
Prices need to come down a bit, especially on purchases.
Rental prices are ok but still a little high when I can go to the grocery store across the street and rent DVDs from a vending machine for .99 for 24 hours.
Content is what is holding tv back and it’s the greedy studios.
Standard Def movies $1.49
HD movies $1.99
To Purchase $7.99-$12.99
Don’t sell content for MORE than it costs to buy in higher quality on DVD when you can make your own digital copy! Same goes for album sales on iTunes. Why do you think singles are so popular even at $1.29?
3 years later and still no Safari on it. Inexplicable.
I have a Tivo Series 2. I even upgraded the hard drive and fixed the fan. I paid for the lifetime membership. But I don’t have a desire to upgrade to the HD Tivo and use the Time Warner Cable DVR instead. Why? Because cable locks you out of all but the local HD channels. You need a cable box to get those. Tivo has done a poor job of explaining how to hook up a Tivo HD to get all HD channels provided by your cable company, if its even possible. Plus you lose a Tivo feature of it recording shows you may like based on your viewing habits. If you only use Tivo to record then how can it effectively learn your viewing habits.
I just keep using my Tivo to record non-HD content and thats about it. Even if Apple incorporated Tivo into Apple TV, there would still be issues hooking it up to your cable box.
@Joeknows
only if adds a subscription plan. Buying all your shows would exceed a monthly cable bill quickly. Even if you don’t have a family, don’t you like to occasionally browse through channels?
Not to mention that many Homeowner’s associations include basic cable in their HOA fees regardless.
NEED cable or satellite to get live sporting events.
Every time I think about buying an Apple TV, I realize that I can just hook my laptop to my TV instead of spending $250. If it was a DVR, then that would be different.
As it is, after we get a new iMac this weekend, I will probably just repurpose my mac mini as the TV media device and install some free DVR software. The pain with the latter is having to re-encode the files, but that is my option to paying for El Gato, etc software.
@fleghorn
I had a Series 2. The new Tivo XL HD is great and well worth the price. Got mine on Amazon much cheaper than through Tivo.
I pay 1-year at a time though now.
CableCards allow you to records 2 channels at once. Uses 1 M-card (multistream) or 2 S-cards (single stream). No hassle except that no one seems to know about them.
Sony XBR tvs included cable card slots a few years ago but now they don’t because they didn’t effectively inform consumers.
@Toasty
I am with you. Getting internet radio in my living room was a very nice bonus. Here at work, we don’t listen to anything but iradio, now I can do the same at home.
AppleTV does not need 1080p, it does not need TiVo or DVR, the pricing structure for purchasing content does not need to be altered, and it does not need a Blu-ray drive.
AppleTV needs one thing and one thing only… a subscription option for television shows. Period.
The rental structure for movies is near perfect the way it is. The only changes in this arena would be the ability to rent new movies the day they are released on DVD and the ability to watch the movie as many times as you wish for a full 5 to 7 days. And assuming the movie catalog will continue to grow.
I personally would like to see AppleTV allow me to attach my 2 terabyte external disc to the AppleTV, eliminating the need to always have my computer and iTunes turned on when accessing my content. And I personally would love for it to contain a Blu-ray player. However, neither of these two wish items would be necessary for the AppleTV to experience tremendous growth.
A television subscription model would effectively kill the DVR, TiVo, and NetFlix. Cable and satellite would not loose too many subscribers because we will still need these services for sports and immediate gratification live broadcast shows like American Idol.
Add to that Netflix streaming.
@Jay:
“AppleTV needs one thing and one thing only… a subscription option for television shows. Period.”
Absolutely. That would end-run the lack of Netflix streaming. If I could pay around what I pay for cable, or less, and watch what I want to watch, that would be the magic moment when everyone suddenly has Apple TV’s, just like when everyone started having iPods. Of course, there’s always the live shows like news and sports, so each Apple TV should come with a massive outdoor mounted antenna. =/
Maybe Apple does not turn this into a DVR is because TiVo or someone else owns the patents for recording live TV. I think Tivo just won a lawsuit dealing with this issue. So they stay away from being a DVR, but they need to expand the rental and subscription options if you ask me. Prices need to drop to 1.29 per episode to make me download a free show that I have missed.
Let me start by saying that I love and own Apple products, I have a 24″ iMac a MacBook Pro, an iPhone, etc, but Apple TV just does not appeal to me and I use my 47″ LCD TV a lot!. I own a PS3 and I love it. It browses the web in full 1080p with full Flash support, I can connect a wireless keyboard to it or a fully capable remote control, I can play almost any digital video format available including DVIX, AVI, etc., it has one of the best blu-ray/DVD/CD players in the market, it streams music and videos directly from my iTunes library and I can also play great PS3 games. The day Apple TV can do the same I will immediately switch to it, but for now, no thanks!
The problem is Bandwidth Caps and Speed….
1080P content will absolutely saturate your internet connection and take forever to download.
Not to mention what it will mean if your internet usage is capped, like it is with Comcast: 250 GB/month.
Fios users of course, don’t have to worry about caps like that….
Appletv was meant for simplicity and the core idea was what you can play on iTunes you can play on appletv. Why the Frick would you add bluray drive and junk to the device?? So you can increase the cost of the unit?? If you want a bluray player buy one.
I’ve owned my AppleTV for about two years now and still believe it was worth every penny I paid for it. Sorry if there isn’t a product on the market that fulfills absolutely everyone’s needs, but the AppleTV DOES EXACTLY WHAT IT IS MADE FOR, allows you to watch iTunes content on your TV. All the whining about what it lacks is just a waste of energy.
Blu-Ray? No thanks. I’m done with physical media. How many times does the public have to be jerked around from one format to another before they tire of it?
DVR? Aren’t there a thousand different options on the market already? Chances are, most people already have a DVR or two in their homes. The cable companies rent them for a few dollars a month.
NetFlix, Hulu, et al.? Why on Earth would Apple have services that compete directly with their own iTunes Store? Any subscription based media, will eventually come from iTunes.
AppStore? This one I can see happening with the next hardware revision with maybe limited support for current hardware.
I agree thst 1080p would be great but come on, it’s not a device for Internet browsing. Stop whining
Apple doesn’t do ‘me too’ devices. You won’t see a major ATV product until they have something unique to contribute to the fray
Underwhelming? No, underwhelming would be a lack of software updates… Apple is keeping the device’s experience fresh without spreading it too thin.
Have had several Tivo’s as well as Time Warner cr@pboxes… Now I pilot a WD TV Live and am much happier… Gets all my media over the network from a share on my Mac. Sure it needs a little more developement but I no longer miss my Tivo and I’m seeing it all in HD. If only AppleTV could support the options this less expensive $120 item does then maybe I’d have gone with them.
TV needs DVR functionality.
TiVo has the best DVR functionality
TiVo’s UI and Industrial design needs an enema
Apple has the best User Experience and Industrial Design
Get Married already. Sure Apple could buy TiVo for cash, but with its stock at an all time high, they might as well do a swap.
I agree with 1080i for rentals but I’d like to see my iPhoto in 1080p or my photoslidehows in 1080p on my 1080p set. Of course I won’t whine and complain. It works as expected without any issues.
This is the first time EVER that I’ve agreed with an “Apple should buy…” piece. This would be a brilliant match. Apple and the consumer would win.
It’s the lack of content that keeps me from getting AppleTV, and there’s pretty much nothing Apple can do about it for now until the movie industry gets its proverbial head out of its proverbial rectum. For a great article about why this is, check out Fahrad Manjoo’s article here: http://www.slate.com/id/2216328/
(Yes, Manjoo can sometimes seem like a Microsoft tool, but he’s dead-on with this article.)
“Imagine being able to push the stuff you’ve recorded via your Apple TV’s TiVo out to your Apple iPods and iPhones”…
You can – and I do. I record Turner Classic Movies on my TiVo, and use TivoToGo to transfer the recordings to my Mac. Then iTunes to transfer over to my iPhone and iPods to watch on a plane or the train. Works like a dream.
“Imagine being able to push the stuff you’ve recorded via your Apple TV’s TiVo out to your Apple iPods and iPhones (even if only via WiFi to start”
Tivo transfer does this but you must convert the file, direct scheduled download of usable files would be easier but it does work.
As to lifetime vs subscription, wait for a special, check the 3 years worth of monthly vs the lifetime, often about the same. If so get the lifetime because they often allow you to transfer the old Tivo lifetime service to a new one. I transferred my original Tivo to a HD Tivo with a cablecard, works great, except the cable card seems to degrade over the course of 12-18 months. Check it out.