AppleTV Review

As you may have noticed, I do enjoy Apple products. I own a first-generation AppleTV and I've recently upgraded to the new generation. The new generation is a major step forward in some aspects, but a step back in other aspects.

Footprint

The first thing you'll notice if you've ever seen, used, or own the previous generation is the size. At approximately 4"x4" it is about a quarter of the size of the original. This is great because the pervious generation. There are a few reasons for this which I will get into. Another visual/functional benefit it the remote control. Instead of the cheap white plastic of the original, it contains the aluminum remote that Apple offers as a premium to other products. If you've never owned an AppleTV, these are some of the first things you will notice. Another thing you will notice is the lact of cables. The only cable included in the box is the power cable. Overall, the size of it is a great improvement because it can fit into much smaller places.

Interface

The interface looks exactly the same as the pervious version, but uses the iOS used on the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. Now the iOS has the capability to install other apps from the iTunes App Store, but for some reason they haven't deployed this feature yet. Hopefully in the near future they will enable this and allow us to install them. My theory is that the interface is not completely developed yet; the other devices are touch-driven while the AppleTV is remote-driven which will require a different type of interaction. Those without a previous gen AppleTV will see a simple interface that is simple to use even if you've never used an Apple product. It is based on a feature used in other Apple products called Front Row.

Movie Rental

One major feature removed from the previous version is the ability to purchase movies. This is because of the lack of a hard drive in the AppleTV. My guess is that Apple is trying to push ISPs to increase internet bandwidth and also to put pressure on the big movie studios to provide more content available for rent. At the same time, they are shooting themselves in the foot by offering Netflix as a native feature. True, they are taking some of their business away by offering the ability to stream movies and TV shows for $8/month for Netflix, they are also appealing to a much larger audience which may draw more people to rent movies via iTunes. They did raise the price of rentals to offset some of these costs.

Native Capabilities

The old AppleTV had the capability to display 1080p, while the new version can only support 720p which is a step back. But Apple does have a point here: not many people can support 1080p streaming and not much content is available at 1080p. I believe Apple will offer an upgrade in the future to support it, but right now 720p is plenty. Until the average internet speeds in the U.S. increase, 1080p streaming is out of the pitcure. Another feature removed from the AppleTV is the absense of the component connectors. While this is good for the overall quality, not all customers have the ability to support the HDMI-only connection. A High Definition TV is required to use the AppleTV, or at least one that supports HDMI. It also supports Wireless N in addition to its network port so you have the choice. Another capability is to stream internet radio stations which is great when I am doing my homework. Yet another feature available is called AirPlay. Apple created this so you can start watching a movie on an iPhone or iPad and then send it to your TV. I have not actually used the feature, but it shows promise.

Price

The price of it is one of the biggest changes. Gen one cost a minimum of $229 while the new version costs a much more affordable $99. This new cost brings it in line with other streaming boxes such as the Roku boxes.

Media Streaming

I have a media server on my network that holds all of my media such as music and movies. I also have iTunes running on it, so my AppleTV sees my shared library on the server and allows me to stream anything on my server to my TV. This is great for the movies I own (such as Digital Copy movies) because I can see them all alphabetically on the AppleTV and can play them.

Conclusion

Being that I have a few other Apple products, this is perfect and logical selection for my setup. If I were to provide Apple with a new slogan, if would be "simplify." That is it. I am a fan of a small company called Lotus that makes cars. There is a phrase attributed to the founder that goes something like this: "Simplify, then add lightness." Apple has kept true to their design philosophy and kept to the simple interfact, simple looks, and simple packaging of the Apple TV. Overall, I am very impressed with the new AppleTV. Is it a big step forwards from the pervious version? With the interface, no. With the design, yes. With the features, there are tradeoffs.

If you are not into Apple products, I would say that there are other alternatives that may be better. If you currently own some Apple products or plan to switch to them, then it is a no-brainer.