Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
Apple TV Almost Killed the Cable Star
So I finally got around to watching the keynote from this year’s Macworld Expo (I’m not going to wander around until Thursday). While I’m sure I’ll have more to say later about the MacBook Air and other fun stuff I run into at the expo, I wanted to touch on one announcement that has the potential to be earth-shattering–Apple TV Take 2.
The small box was first introduced about a year ago, but met with subpar success in the marketplace, primarily because it required a standalone computer to function. Apple finally eliminated this requirement to allow the Apple TV to stand on its own with the new version.
The keynote demo of the Apple TV looked tremendous. Combined with the announcement of movie rentals via iTunes, Apple may finally be able to knock the big-time cable companies back a bit in the rollout of on-demand services. All the major studios are on board and the technology appears exceedingly simple to use.
I’ve been contemplating picking up an Apple TV for some time, but was really waiting on the rental market to open up (if I’m going to purchase a movie, I really want a DVD). Meeting that requirement and coupled with a price cut to $229, I’m surprised I remain contemplative.
In thinking about the Apple TV, my concerns come down to two missing features:
- DVD Player — I have enough equipment below my television. Apple is used to DVD players in its computer, but does not include one in the Apple TV. Not a huge problem, but something I’d put in the “it’d be nice” category.
- TV Tuner — This is the big one. If the Apple TV included this, I’d have one already. I hate the interface on my Comcast DVR (and long after my old TiVo) and think combining Apple’s UI with the rest of the Apple TV package would be a truly disruptive technology. I’d even be willing to pay for it from a third-party (EyeTV, for example) if it was able to integrate with the Apple TV and DVR software.
Will I take the jump? Maybe, but if I do it will be under protest. Finally, a company I really respect (Apple) has an opportunity to obliterate a company I really hate (any cable company, currently Comcast). But they missed it, and Comcast lives to fight again.
I hope that Apple gets into some serious discussions with the TV studios and finds a solution that allows Take 3 to roll out a year or two from now with these critical features, freeing me from the tyranny of cable TV once and for all.
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