Well, a few of my earlier criticisms of Apple TV have been nullified by recent announcements, namely viewing YouTube videos and the lack of larger hard drives (although the latter has been possible by voiding your warranty). This marks the first in what I suspect will be a series of announcements pertaining to greater functionality of what really amounts to a Mac nano with a very specialized user interface. I call it a Mac nano because as others have shown Apple TV truly is just a sparse computer with Mac OS X running in the background. The possibilities are endless. (Not really, though, because the computing power behind the device is still rather limited, as evidenced by its inability to handle 1280×720 at 30 fps.)

Things that need to be fixed:

• Streaming, syncing photos from multiple computers

Things users might find killer:

• Buying content from iTunes Store directly from the device
• IPTV (Joost, AT&T, etc)
• Music visualizer à la Magnetosphere
• True 1080p support
• Games

With that said, my favorite feature, as I predicted is slide shows. Pictures look awesome on a huge screen, fading in and out to great tunes. It’s also nice to catch the few shows I purchase occasionally through The Store on the TV as well.

I have been looking forward to this new “Apple product”:http://www.apple.com/appletv/ since Steve Jobs’s October announcement of its in-development former self, iTV. At the time, it appeared to be a much-improved, video version of the “Airport Express”:http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/, now ubiquitous among my various family households (mom’s house, dad’s house, brothers’ house, my house, cousin’s dorm). The Airport Express’ convenience, simplicity and iTunes connection has allowed easy and fun access to our iTunes library, all while extending our wireless networks.

The Apple TV, however, represents a wholly different peripheral. As I see it , the pros and cons are very telling of what it can (and cannot) do.

The pros:

• Seamless use with your computer-based media (movies, music, podcasts, photos)
• Updated “Front Row”:http://www.apple.com/imac/frontrow.html interface (very slick)
• Local caching/syncing of media on HD
• iTunes integration similar to iPod, “iPhone”:http://www.apple.com/iphone/
• 802.11n
• Digital outputs (HDMI, optical TOS link)

The cons:

• Makes no mention of “Aperture”:http://www.apple.com/aperture/ support
• No ability to browse the iTunes Store, YouTube, Google Video, from the device
• Only 40 GB hard drive (just when “Hitachi announces 1 TB hard drives”:http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9584_22-6105515.html)
• Does not appear to extend Airport network
• Only 720p (wither 1080p?)
• USB port is for “service and diagnostics”:http://www.apple.com/appletv/specs.html ?!? (see Port and Interfaces)M

The price is especially difficult to swallow given that the device is meant only as a media hub, does not extend your wireless network (despite the fact that such a capability is _very_ easy to add), and has hardware features that appear a bit anemic in the face of ever cheaper hard drives and expanding sources of free video on the internet.

That said, I think it is very rare for Apple to create a product that meets the expectations of every customer: all expectations are different! Still, on price and features, Apple could easily have taken a few extra steps and tied up the loose ends. Lower the price to $249 or $199. Up the hard drive to 100, 250, or even 500 GB. Add the ability to use the Apple TV just like Airport Express as an extension of your Airport network. Get rid of that USB port or make it usable.

As for my quibbles about content, I think that will be fixed in good time, or most users will find such requirements not really all that necessary. YouTube may well find its way into iTunes and subsequently Apple TV. “Handbrake”:http://handbrake.m0k.org/ will allow me to add movies to my computer (in all their H.264 goodness) for easy access via Apple TV.

With that said, none of these “niggles”:http://www.sensoryoutput.com/archives/2006/06/20/niggle/ is a show stopper, and my Apple TV should ship on or around February 28. The real driver, though, has always been my penchant for connecting my computer to the TV to give photo slide shows. This saves me the effort and gives me an excellent link to my media (and the rest of the household’s media, seeing as we have 4-5 Macs floating around) on our nice Sony Bravaria HDTV.