Why AppleTV Will Fail. Again.


When I first heard about Apple TV I thought it sounded pretty cool. Then I found out what it actually was, and thought “Ah well, pretty lousy but hey, it’s version one.”. We now get to know the news from Macworld and anticipation was high, along with the new video rental service. This could be what we were looking for! Sorry, no joy.

What would you expect from a TV device? Tivo-like functionality? Media Center capability? Storage? Apple TV has none of those things. Sad, but true.

Yes, it has a hard disk, but the device is like an over-sized iPod. It’s depends on your computers iTunes library. It can’t record, doesn’t have a digital or analog tuner. Heck, it doesn’t even play DVDs.

So it is just one more box and not a very smart one at that.

“But” Mr Jobs would say “We now have our video rental service!”. And they do. And it is lame.

iTunes Rentals Good News

Bad News

Summary

What should they have done?

In an ideal world you should be able to use it as a true media center. It should have tuner and DVR capability. You should be able to sync your iPod directly with it and copy files over the network. It should be a safari-based browsing device. Yes, have rentals, but they should be new films and you should have a full 30 days to view as many times as you like. This isn’t pie in the sky, they could do this with the existing hardware and maybe a tuner ad-on.

That, I would buy.

Posted on January 17, 2008 by Chris Garrett 
Filed Under IT

Comments

6 Responses to “Why AppleTV Will Fail. Again.”

  1. linkerjpatrick on January 17th, 2008 2:58 pm

    If you look at it just for the movies I can see your concern but I’m excited about it for another reason, Podcasts. I thought about getting the first one but it’s was not quite enough for me to justify the price.

    Also I am very “techie” and yes I have used Bitorrent for things like downloading Linux distros but I do not believe in downloading pirated movies, yes I know some do but they are quite a few of us out here that believe in doing things the honest way and not just to be “goodie-goodie” but because I want to be assured of getting the real thing, supporting the producers of the works.

    Another thing you are overlooking is Podcasts. It’s amazing how much good stuff out their is for free. I subscribe to quite a few video podcasts myself and plan on producing some in the near future and I would love for a user friendly was to make this available in the living room so the whole family can watch. With Podcasts I also have the ability to show my work to a wider audience. I don’t think my dad would ever go to the trouble of subscribing to some podcast on his computer but this would make it a lot easier. I’ll gladly set up an Apple TV (or any competing device that does the same thing to be fair).

    pay per view movies aside, we need to support any device that helps content like blogs and podcasts go beyond the traditional computer. A lot of people out there are missing out on a lot of good stuff. We are still in the early days.

    Remember, they said a lot of this same stuff about the iPod too.

  2. Chris Garrett on January 17th, 2008 9:19 pm

    You make a good point about podcasts but I don’t think that feature will be enough to sell it, especially against things like the wii and xbox360?

  3. My del.icio.us bookmarks for January 16th through January 18th : AccMan on January 19th, 2008 3:29 am

    [...] Why AppleTV Will Fail. Again. - Oh boy - they really haven’t got this one right have they, but if they did then it would be a killer. Nearest is the Mac Mini [...]

  4. linkerjpatrick on January 21st, 2008 5:05 pm

    I don’t know Chris. I know a lot of people who would enjoy the benefits of an Apple TV (or very similar competitor) This audience would not be attracted to the Wii or XBox 360. As a blogger (photo and text) and soon to be podcaster I will certainly be telling others about this option of getting content. I’m not saying Apple will pull this off but it certainly has potential to reach a much much wider audience.

  5. Chris Garrett on January 22nd, 2008 1:35 pm

    I definitely think it has *potential*, I am just disappointed with the current implementation. Perhaps my expectations are just too high?

  6. Benjamin on February 9th, 2008 11:01 pm

    I agree that the AppleTV hasn’t been all it could be, but I love mine. An HDMI input into my HD screen (HDMI sadly missing on our beloved Wii). It means I can watch you tube clips (actually don’t look too bad on the screen), video podcast and review our photo collection as well as listening to music via the SPDIF output. OK, I’m an AV geek, but the plug and play simplicity appeals to all who see the thing in action.

    I think the best future for the AppleTV might be as a home hub type device - a central place for files, calendars, photos and music.

    In the UK, it would be nice to see some BBC content on it, then I could hurle my PVR out of the window (not literally you understand)!

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