Why Hasn't Apple TV Exploded In Popularity?

[MagnusVonMagnum]

If you're into music and you listen to music at home, what's your alternative? An iPod dock sitting on my stereo rack? Then i have to walk up to the thing and spin the dial on a little bitty screen to play music (which is somewhat akward when its sitting on a dock). Or how about Airport Express? Nice, but now i've got to go to my main computer to play music, or keep a Macbook in the living room as a remote.

You can control the Airport Express via an iPhone or iPod Touch running the Remote app. Considering its analog output is junk and and the digital signal requires a DAC input of some kind, I'd still prefer the AppleTV, given it can always be hooked up to a monitor at a later date for more functionality, but if you already have a stereo with a digital input and an iPhone, that might be all someone needs. I've got an AppleTV in a music only room right now, but some day I plan to get a flat screen to hang above my piano like a video wall frame picture (right now there's an actual wall photo hanging there) at which point I'd just connect the AppleTV and I can have it change photos or watch tv in yet another room.

I am concerned, however, about how a lot of movies have been switching over to buy only lately for no apparent reason. Most of the Disney movies are buy only after formerly being available for HD rentals and some others like The Matrix and Superbad are also buy only for no reason...they're even in the "Must See HD" category, but you can no longer view them in HD. It's very odd. I haven't heard of anyone getting a legitimate response from Apple yet why that's happening.

 

[BoulderBum]

DVR's seem a little old-school to me. Nowadays, I want on-demand content. I don't want to schedule anything and wait for it to play before I can watch it, I want to sit down, push a button and have my content without waiting!

Netflix may take weeks to get the movie at the top of your queue, Blockbuster is always out of stock of the good movies, but Apple TV is instantaneous and always in stock!

I don't think people realize the inefficiency of the "old ways".

BTW, here's a good, related video from "The Onion":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TrPwOrf4sM

 

[sangosimo]

I think the xbox360 after the dashboard update will be a better deal then the atv.

 

[Tilpots]

DVR's seem a little old-school to me. Nowadays, I want on-demand content. I don't want to schedule anything and wait for it to play before I can watch it, I want to sit down, push a button and have my content without waiting!

Netflix may take weeks to get the movie at the top of your queue, Blockbuster is always out of stock of the good movies, but Apple TV is instantaneous and always in stock!

I don't think people realize the inefficiency of the "old ways".

BTW, here's a good, related video from "The Onion":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TrPwOrf4sM

DVR is far from old school. It doesn't get any faster than live TV. To wait for a broadcast TV show to get to iTunes is like reading yesterday's newspaper.