by Conrad MacIntyre
By Conrad MacIntyre
Jordan Golson on the new-new Apple TV:
Apple aims to make it so viewers can watch any show at any time via a cloud-based DVR that would store TV shows online. The service would be designed so viewers could begin streaming a show minutes after it began airing live.
Take my money. Take it now.
M.G. Siegler on the news that Apple TV outsold Xbox 360 last quarter:
When — yes, when — Apple adds apps to this thing, wonder what will happen? If they added them tomorrow, the Apple TV would instantly be the number one gaming console. Think about that for a second.
Ummm... this is comparing a decade-old console to a 3-month-old set-top box. I highly doubt Apple TV outsells a newly released Xbox console. IF that happens I'll be impressed.
Xbox and Apple TV are competitive. They’re post-PC devices hooked up to TV sets to access an ecosystem of media content.
Fully agreed. And more than that, it's about ecosystem lock-in. My Apple TV extends the usefulness of iTunes ( and with the impending 10.8 release, the rest of my Mac as well), iPad, and iPhone.
[Consumer Reports] claims Amazon Instant Video, Crackle, Epix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, Spotify and HBO go are reasons to go with a Roku or Boxee Box [over an Apple TV].
Everyone's different. But I don't stream anything. I buy it all and it lives in my iTunes library. The fact that everything I own is just a click away, that I can use my iPad/iPhone as a remote, and that I (or any of my many iPhone-weilding friends) can quickly pop a YouTube clip or video on my living room TV via AirPlay is indispensable for me. I have very little interest in signing up (and paying) for streaming services that only offer a fraction of the U.S. content to Canadians.
Munster’s betting Apple will introduce the rumored product some time this year and is expecting a Fall availability. The key quote:
It’s going to live up to some of the building hype. It will be the biggest thing in consumer electronics since the smartphone.
This is like hearing that Seinfeld will do a reunion episode. The hype is getting so colossal it may even be dangerous.
Killean Bell (one of my favourite CoM cotruibutors):
Apple has made another addition to its team this week with a former Microsoft Product Marketing chief, Robin Burrowes, joining the ranks to become the head of App Store Marketing for iTunes Europe. Burrowes was previously part of Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE team, and he’s not the first gaming executive to head for Cupertino as Apple gets serious about battling consoles head on.
I think we all know what this means… Pippin II!
(via Cult of Mac)
Gene Muster postulates on iTV scenarios:
Apple could simply enable its television to manage a consumer’s live TV service from within a unified interface much like TiVo does...
I really, really hope not.
(via 9to5Mac)
John Siracusa via Twitter:
Made my first iTunes video purchase in years. Tried to stream it to my TV through my PS3. Oh yeah…DRM. (No TV here yet…)
That's why piracy is winning.
As John Gruber said, "[I]t used to be that 1.4 million was a great number for Mac sales in a quarter." But I'm not surprised that Apple TV is gaining momentum. I got one for Christmas 2010. And I loved it so much that I got another one for Christmas 2011 to put in my bedroom. I have an external hard drive attached to my iMac that acts as a media server and I can watch whatever I want. On demand. With no ads. I have converted all my DVDs to iTunes and I could not be more pleased.
I even found a torrent of The Wonder Years.
Now I can watch TV on my schedule. I don't have to plan to be home or worry about PVRing anything. Missed an episode? You can find it online.
I've recommended this device to everyone I know. If the rumoured Apple Television is better than this I can only imagine how awesome it will be. I know I'm a fanboy, but it's not hard when everything Apple makes is so awesome.