The iMac and the death of the AppleTV

[e-coli]

I was thinking about this the other day, and it occurred to me that aside from HD space, the AppleTV probably won't ever be truly "updated." The reason? With the release of the new iMac, Apple has effectively launched its first HDTV.

While the merge of the personal computer and the TV may seem alien to the broad public, Apple already has a strong base of people familiar with the iMac and iTunes. If an iTunes broadcast deal is reached, the iMac will replace any similarly-sized HDTV. The associative chasm between seeing a computer and television as separate devices will be drastically reduced. Essentially Apple have slowly moved the bar, inching their media services / devices together while keeping their customers familiar with form and functionality.

It was puzzling to me when Apple moved their iMac screen size to a 16x9 ratio. I'm certain this is the reason why. If you take into account that the wireless keyboard and mouse are now standard, it's almost obvious.

Feel free to add your two cents, but the AppleTV is dead, and the iMac represents an entirely new era in Apple's history.

 

[FamiliaPhoto]

Could be and always possible. The screen will have to get a whole lot bigger to be a true entertainment replacement. I see a mini with HDMI out as a more likely option, but thats me.

 

[sailon]

AppleTV maybe dead. iMac as its successor, maybe not.

TV is aimed at the living room (or home theater). The iMac is aimed at the home office. While the 27" screen certainly makes the iMac more enjoyable to use for now-and-again video viewing, it simply does not meet minimum size needs for a living room. And, viewing a computer screen from home theater viewing distances is an exercise in futility.

The iMac seems (at least to me) to be becoming a great tool for an amateur video content author (16:9 screen, multiple processors for video editing). With HD videocams becoming ubiguitous, there's a lot of us authoring amateur video nowadays.

And, the bigger 16:9 screen serves to help justify the iMac's premium price - since Apple refuses to participate in the low-price market they have to do something to differentiate themselves.

 

[notstevelam]

16:9 monitors are cheaper to make.

plus, i highly doubt anyone is going to be putting a 27" monitor as a living room tv unless you're a complete hobo.

and you can't even watch blu-rays on macs. hardly a substitute for a much cheaper htpc or any other media player.

 

[spice weasel]

Feel free to add your two cents, but the AppleTV is dead, and the iMac represents an entirely new era in Apple's history.

The ATV very well may be dead, but I don't think the introduction of the new iMacs signal the death knell. I love the new iMac design and just got my Core i7 the other day, but it's really not the revolutionary change you make it out to be. Sure, the 27" LED-backlit screen is awesome, but it's hardly an HDTV. No ATSC tuner, for one. And the market for a media extender/HTPC is different than that for a all-in-one desktop like the iMac.

If anything, the mini is the replacement for the ATV, not the iMac.

 

[SwiftLives]

Personally, I think the future of the ATV is contingent upon the rumor of whether or not Apple can work out some sort of a subscription deal with the networks.

That, my friends, could potentially be a game changer.

And if it doesn't happen, I don't personally see a lot of growth in that market right now. Unless Apple wanted to partner with cable providers.

 

[mchalebk]

Sorry, but a 27" screen just doesn't cut it these days, not for the living room. And, as mentioned, you can't play Blu-ray discs on an iMac. The cheapest 27” iMac starts at $1699. For that price, you could easily buy a 46” LCD TV, an AppleTV and a Blu-ray player.

So, no, the new iMac did not kill the AppleTV.

 

[trip1ex]

Nothing has changed.

 

[fauzigarib]

The future of Apple is...

... Itunes.

There is no question about it. Everything is being slowly and steadily amalgamated into this, and make no mistake about it, Itunes will be (if it isn't already) a constant in every household, office , and educational institution.

It will be a central hub for all forms of media that are prevalent in our lives.

The genius of Steve Jobs is that, using this as a hub, he has placed the Apple TV as a medium of communication between iTunes and your household.

So I don't think that the Apple TV is any deader than it was before the release of the new iMac. In other words, one doesn't have anything to do with the fate of the other.

Having said that, however, I'm a die-hard proponent of the Apple TV, and as much as I hate to admit it, the drive in this market is certainly towards HD, and the current iteration of the Apple TV hardware is not up to the challenge at all. So it has already started to die a slow death on it's own due to its inability to keep up with the market.

I, for one, certainly hope that they upgrade the unit soon... I want to be able to play my .mkv files on there in an easy, un-hacked way...

Have my fingers crossed!

-F

 

[zedsdead]

The iMac is not a replacement for the Apple TV at all. Between the price and function, they are completely different.

Since Apple keeps on updating the current Apple TV, I think there will be a hardware refresh. As someone else mentioned, I think it is heavily contingent on content that the media companies are going to provide, especially a subscription service and 1080p content.

Like the iPod Touch, I don't think Apple really knows what to market the device as (although they figured it out quickly with the iPod Touch).

Also, Apple has been iPhone focused which has greatly drawn attention away from the device. Look, the day it was actually released was the day the iPhone was announced. What stole the day?

I fear the same thing will happen with the next version. Whenever this tablet comes it will be at a "media-centric" event, which could include a new Apple TV. The tablet will steal the show.