What does the latest upgrade to Apple's TV box has in
store for the end user.
The Apple TV Explained
At Apple's March 7 event held at the Yerba Buena
Center for the Arts in San Francisco, the third iPad model was announced. However,
Apple's CEO Tim Cook also revealed the third iteration of the Apple TV - a set-top
box that was long considered merely one of a Steve Jobs' hobbies. Unlike the
previous models, this one can finally stream true HD content in 1080p.
However, the 1080p resolution support wasn't
the only thing that Apple added to the set-top box. A completely new interface was
also shown off by Apple's Eddy Hue. This new interface really changes the way users
can interact with the now-released third model of the Apple TV. It is much more
intuitive with icons representing a variety of media. These icons can be easily
selected and are represented by images of the different types of media that
users are accessing. The third Apple TV model also starts at only $99, like the
previous models.
What the Apple TV means for end users
The Apple TV is a set-top box, but is also
often called a digital media receiver. Although it has TV in its title, it is
based on a conglomeration of media. It also comes with no display of its own. It
is a piece of hardware designed to go hand-in-hand with other Apple devices and
requires a separate TV set. It can also be described as a network appliance, in
a small form factor, designed to play a wide range of media in the living room.
The idea behind the Apple TV is to take all
of your iTunes content - whether it is TV shows, movies, music, or multimedia –
and bring it to your living room's TV set. You can access certain iTunes
content directly from the Apple TV now and without the need for a Mac or
iDevice connected to the TV set. The Apple TV does it for you. However, you may
not be able to access music and images directly without streaming from another device
or putting this content in iCIoud. Apple's iTunes Match allows you to access your
entire music collection via iCIoud and Photo Stream allows you to access your image
collection just the same.
Although the Apple TV does feature internal
components or hardware specs matching other iDevices, its purpose is quite different.
It doesn't currently allow you to use the App Store and run apps off of it. You
will need another iDevice to mirror those apps to your TV set. Apple TV acts
like the hub between the two mediums in this regard. It also comes with a small
remote, unlike other iDevices that rely on touch interfaces. The remote may
remind you of the original iPod models and is quite sleek in appearance.
Apple does allow for certain apps to run on
the device, but they are built-in. This means you can't access the App Store to
download new ones from the device. For instance, Netflix is available and runs
directly from the Apple TV. There isn't any sort of streaming required from
external iDevices or even iCIoud for you to run Netflix. YouTube also runs
directly from the device, as does the Safari Web browser. General iTunes
content, like movies and TV shows, can be rented or purchased directly from the
device though. This content can also be stored in iCIoud and accessed from
there on different Apple devices besides the Apple TV. Other services are also
available directly from the Apple TV, including Vimeo, Flickr, and certain live
sports. However, so far, some services like Hulu Plus, HBO Go, and Pandora radio
aren't available on the Apple TV -- for they are on the competing Google TV and
Hulu platforms.
One benefit Apple TV has over other TV or
streaming services, in regards to movies and TV shows, is that it runs
commercial-free software. The multimedia you purchase or rent off iTunes and run
off the Apple TV is commercial free. Also noteworthy is its small and sleek
form factor. The Apple TV is so tiny; it probably won't stand out in any living
room. This also makes it a great alternative to Blue-ray players with multimedia
and Netflix streaming built-in. If you love digital content and don't play many
Blue-ray discs, the Apple TV is the likely alternative for you to consider. Keep
in mind I am talking about the latest two models and not the original Apple TV,
which was quite bulky in comparison.
The idea of moving the set-top box away from
other devices wasn't part of Apple's original plan for the device. When looking
at the many features and offerings available on the latest model, it is evident
that Apple took user feedback into consideration. Steve Jobs once said, "Apple
TV was designed to be an accessory for iTunes and your computer. It was not
what people wanted. We learned what people wanted was movies, movies, movies."
Airplay
AirPlay lets you either stream or mirror the
same content you are accessing from another iDevice onto your TV set. The Apple
TV acts as the hub or medium between your iDevice and TV. For example, you could
be playing a game from your iPad and mirror the image to your TV set. This way
you can play like a console and use your iPad as a controller. This means that
you won't have to worry about your fingers covering a section of your gameplay
screen. You can also use your iPad as a storage device with other movies or
media being streamed to a friend's Apple TV. I imagine this will be
particularly useful at parties or family gatherings.
An AirPlay icon will appear when your iDevice(s)
and Apple TV appear on the same Wi-Fi network. The difference between streaming
and mirroring is that mirroring essentially shows you the exact same thing on your
large display as what you are seeing on your IDevice. It basically allows you
to use iOS on the Apple TV, but in an indirect way. The hard drive that the
content comes from is on the device being mirrored to the Apple TV and not the
set-top box's hard drive. Streaming is more reserved for multimedia running
from your iDevice like videos and photos.
The Latest Version
The current latest Apple TV model or third version
thus far, was released on the same day as the latest iPad - on March 16. Besides
the new interface and 1080p support, it also features beefed up hardware specs.
This time around Apple decided to equip it with a single-core A5 CPU. An HDMI
cable is, however, required to connect it to an HD TV set, which is sold separately.
The original model had component cable support, but the latest two models
don't.
Potential
Despite the new interface being added to
this third iteration of the Apple TV, the device is still missing a key
component to most other Apple products ~ an OS like IOS for users to operate is
the main drawback. There is a difference between a functioning OS users have
access to, and an interface running on a basic OS in the background. This is
where Apple's greatest potential lies with the device; however, the potential may
not be realized anytime soon.
If Apple puts a real operating system, say
iOS, inside the box for users to access, it would undermine other Apple products.
Think about it, if you only have to purchase an Apple TV for $99, how likely
would you be to purchase a Mac Mini? Heck, how likely would you be to purchase
an iPad if you own an Apple TV and a MacBook Air? Some of you may still purchase
your Mac Minis or iPads for other reasons they excel in. However, for many
customers. It may save them money to just use the Apple TV over other products.
This Is why Apple isn't likely to put iOS
in an Apple TV anytime soon. What Apple is allowing though is for greater
flexibility of the type of content It supports. There is talk of broadcast TV
channels being available as apps for instance. Of course Apple has to secure
those rights first, which won't be easy. There are also more sports channels or
games that will become available to watch from an Apple TV over time. We may
see more pay-per-view content as the platform matures. Think of live UFC
events, boxing, or other entertainment. This is a huge potential for Apple.
However,
the one arena I see the greatest potential In the Apple TV is with gaming. I see
Apple expanding its hardware to offer gamers a cheaper alternative to gaming consoles
than what Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo offer. I imagine iCIoud features will continue
to be expanded for every Apple product, especially the Apple TV. Apple could partner
with OnLive or produce a similar cloud-based gaming service, where big companies
can put titles up on the platform for gamers to stream. However, real gamers will
also need a controller and Apple would need to provide them with one.
Conclusion
Although the Apple TV is a great digital media
receiver and set-top box, there is competition out there. The Google TV platform,
for instance, is an alternative – as is Roku. If you live in the Apple
ecosystem, regularly use iTunes content, have access to other Apple products
and devices, you should definitely consider the Apple TV. However, if you need a
real operating system with the flexibility of running native apps, you may
consider Google's alternative (not Roku either). It all comes down to what you need
out of a set-top box and how you plan on using it. The Apple TV is a great
bargain though at its $99 price tag.
