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Apple Introduces 160GB Apple TV for $399
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hmm so you have to buy an extra HD? seems so stupid if the two are essentially doing the same thing. i want to have a music/media hub shared as a drive on the network. But i also want apple tv. so you're telling me i have to get both items? wtf?? anyone else think this is stupid?
Quite true - I would love an iPhone without the "phone" functionality - just give me that full screen and touch screen capability with a new iPod and I'll be happy!
That would have been nice. Storage is so cheap these days, it wouldn't have cost Apple much more. And furthermore, can you even buy 160 GB drives anymore? Those seem so dated already...
I gathered that since Steve considers this a "hobby" we can see slow rollout of content and features for years to come with little regard for sales. Price is almost a non-issue.
How about internet radio?
While video is still in its infancy and quality is pretty bad, internet radio is pretty mature with many international streams available at 128kbps or better. When is AppleTV going to get this feature? I use my SqueezeBox just for this feature. Once, AppleTV gets the internet radio feature, I won't need the Squeezebox anymore. The TV interface will make it easy to find and save internet radio stations. Radio station URLs could be saved in the internal HD or imported from iTunes. May be even allow bidirectional syncing of favorites (like Squeezenetwork).
While video is still in its infancy and quality is pretty bad, internet radio is pretty mature with many international streams available at 128kbps or better. When is AppleTV going to get this feature? I use my SqueezeBox just for this feature. Once, AppleTV gets the internet radio feature, I won't need the Squeezebox anymore. The TV interface will make it easy to find and save internet radio stations. Radio station URLs could be saved in the internal HD or imported from iTunes. May be even allow bidirectional syncing of favorites (like Squeezenetwork).
Very nice! Between this and the future YouTube update, Apple TV is moving along pretty well. It's still a bit pricey, but at least the 160 GB is a better deal.
It's still a bit pricey, but at least the 160 GB is a better deal.Some of the things affecting the appleTV also affect the iPhone...for example, it would be nice to have better quality video, and would benefit the experience on BOTH systems...
Fortune on the other hand, says AppleTV is a dud.
I have had some problems related to the thing stalling when network interference is high but I live in an apartment and have the same problem with anything wifi. However, I'm moving into a house.
Other than that, I love the 40GB model and it'll serve me well for a while... It streams SD and HD content just fine. I know iTunes Store doesn't carry true SD or HD content yet but if and when they do it's rather clear that one does not absolutely need the 160GB model to facilitate it.
That's why I never really understand the complaints about "oh this should have been in there" and yada yada... We technogeeks look at the minutiae of features and often ignore the concept. The concept, bridging your LAN with your HDTV wirelessly, is freaking brilliant.
I have had some problems related to the thing stalling when network interference is high but I live in an apartment and have the same problem with anything wifi. However, I'm moving into a house.
Other than that, I love the 40GB model and it'll serve me well for a while... It streams SD and HD content just fine. I know iTunes Store doesn't carry true SD or HD content yet but if and when they do it's rather clear that one does not absolutely need the 160GB model to facilitate it.
That's why I never really understand the complaints about "oh this should have been in there" and yada yada... We technogeeks look at the minutiae of features and often ignore the concept. The concept, bridging your LAN with your HDTV wirelessly, is freaking brilliant.
I stream most of my media. I only keep an iPhoto album called
TV synced since it cannot stream photos. My DVD rips are about 100+gigs and my music is about 70+gigs.Remember when it was intruduced some time last year? I did not specify it would have a hard drive to begin with. I knew I was going to stream all my media.
I upgraded from a Pinnacle ShowCenter appliance. Man that thing was junk.
Old marketing: You only need 40GB because the streaming is so fast.
New marketing: Bigger hard drive!!
What you're looking for is a media server, which the AppleTV is not. You can only stream to the Apple TV, not from it. What you want is the Mac Mini or a PC equivalent - does basically what the Apple TV does, plus can serve content to other computers, but costs twice as much.
Hmm, where have I seen that strategy before...
Old marketing: Integrated graphics suck.
New marketing: Our Intel integrated graphic chipsets are da bomb!
Perhaps, but the early adopters also got early use of this product.
Nobody should be surprised when newer versions of Macs, iPods, Apple TVs, etc. are released, and that prices drop or capacities increase over time. Buyers should buy products only if they are worth the price at the time, to them. If not, they have the opportunity to wait until it IS worth it to them, but they won't have it until then.
In this case, early adopters might have been more annoyed if there was a price drop, rather than a new higher-priced model, but the point is the same either way.
exactly. There's no reason a 160GB option shouldn't have been at launch...
A better option would be to have a 3.5" hard drive design. What's with the small lap top drive in the thing? So it can be portable? Why not make the form factor component standard size? This way it can match the receiver, etc.
I still can't understand what Apple wants us to us AppleTV for. One minute we're being told we only need 40GB because the whole point of Apple TV is that it's mainly a streaming device (or at least that's what I think we were being told). And then they go and increase the capacity 300%
I wish they'd just have released two versions: One which is just a streaming device for those with a permanent desktop somewhere in the house/flat, and; Another which was just a little bigger to allow for a full size hard disk that is a standalone unit that stores the media on its own hard disk. The latter would be useful for people like me who perhaps only have laptops.
I wish they'd just have released two versions: One which is just a streaming device for those with a permanent desktop somewhere in the house/flat, and; Another which was just a little bigger to allow for a full size hard disk that is a standalone unit that stores the media on its own hard disk. The latter would be useful for people like me who perhaps only have laptops.
I still can't understand what Apple wants us to us AppleTV for. One minute we're being told we only need 40GB because the whole point of Apple TV is that it's mainly a streaming device (or at least that's what I think we were being told). And then they go and increase the capacity 300%
Hopefully it's a portent for DVR/PVR functionality.
I hope this will begin a transition for
TV from being tied to your computer to getting content directly from the Internet. Less streaming, more shows and movies ready to play.