Is Apple TV the Stupidest Apple Product Ever?
Mum said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." However, Hadley says "500 words per week please." So I'll say, you're never going to hear the expression "Apple TV killer", because everything already kills it.
Apple loves to be pig-headed about things. For example, a multi-button mouse only took 20 years, and we're still waiting for a decent camera on the iPhone. We all know it's the Apple-way or the highway. Well this week, I took the highway.
I was in the market for a PVR. Naturally I decided to check out the AppleTV to see what it is - and isn't.
What it is: A vacuum cleaner for your wallet. 
What it isn't: A PVR, nor is it even a challenge to PVRs.
Now I know you all knew that, but it bears mentioning again because spending so much money on a one function device that is superceded by PVRs anyway, seems a tad insane.
The Apple TV is a means to play downloaded movies and TV shows. That's all. No DVD player, no hard disk recorder, no TV tuner. It's just a media player. Kinda like a big iPod really.
Who really needs that? Hands up all those people who don't want to play DVDs and don't want to record TV. Hmm, no hands.
Some will argue the Apple TV shouldn't be compared to PVRs as they serve different functions. True enough from the Apple TV's perspective, but not from the PVR's. Apple TV won't be making any sort of blip in PVR sales, but PVRs will certainly be limiting Apple TV's sales
With the Olympics on, now is an apt time to consider Apple TV versus PVR. Has Apple provided any Olympic coverage? Has it provided the coverage you wanted to see? Nope. So you still need to fork out for a VR - which then makes yourAppleTV redundant.
Many programs each week are not available on iTMS. Sport, news, documentaries, dramas, comedies, soaps, current affairs. In fact, a lot of everything. It'd be lucky if 2% of what's on telly each week is available on iTMS.
Now look at this from the Apple TV's blurb:
Get TV shows you love — without countless channels you don’t need. Buy commercial-free TV episodes directly from Apple TV and watch what you want, when you want. Browse hundreds of shows, then click once to buy episodes for just $1.99 each.
Apple, that blurb convinced me more than anything not to buy an Apple TV. It's asking me to buying an expensive piece of hardware to then pay for TV shows I currently get for free. All for the advantage for receiving them without commericals and not having to worry about setting up my PVR to record. Whoopity doo.
Also, I have a Mac, it can download the same programs as the Apple TV, which I can then watch on my Mac or TV. So again, why do I ned an Apple TV?
But again I still will need a PVR to record all the programs Apple can't supply.
So I'm really struggling here to see who would by an Apple TV? People who can't be bothered pressing record? Or can't be bothered pressing fast forward during the commercials?
Movies are a better use, but again I don't need the Apple TV to access them, I can still download them through my Mac.
Oh, and for the price of the Apple TV with160GB, you can buy a very good PVR - such as a Sony or Panasonic - with greater capacity. As it is, I purchased a PVR with 160GB for half the price of the 160GB Apple TV. And it plays and records DVDs.
The cost of movies and TV shows is not an advantage either, with them being the same or dearer (more expensive) through iTMS.
One other possible argument for the Apple TV is it is the future. A future where we will download all our movies and TV shows. But with such a limited selection, especially of TV viewing, and exisiting systems so entrenched, the Apple TV is just too far ahead of the game.
In fact, the Apple TV is so far ahead of the game that it's out of the game. The DVD is here for a long time yet, watching TV over the TV networks is here for a long time yet. The limited convenience of the Apple TV is not justifiable.
I look forward to the Apple zealots trying to justify the Apple TV, and when they can't find any justification, resorting to calling this the stupidest article ever. Because they've got as much hope of justifying the Apple TV as they have of explaining what's outside the universe.
The Apple TV is a waste of money. It's plain stupid. Sorry, Mum.
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Doug, we’ve tried the photos on TV thing. The house stops, nothing gets done.
As the whole gist of my article is, and what no one has disagreed with, the Apple TV could have and should have been so much better.
Greg, yeah, editorial mistake I guess. No wonder folks got so wound up! Apologies for that.
Re the blurb, I’m used to Apple blurbs getting me excited, not turning me off. But yeah, although I thought it was clear, I shoulda made it patently clear.
I can’t think of a product that can’t be improved on, and it is even less likely that a product would exist that would be exactly what everyone wants. That hardly makes a product stupid! I have no idea the cost associated with allowing AppleTV to receive digital only over the air signals, but I can tell you in the states it would probably do little for sales. It would undoubtedly add cost and maybe size, heat, noise….etc.
I don’t know when Apple wrote the ad you mention but it is exactly what I hope to do with my AppleTV eventually. Really, all I’m waiting for is Apple to get NBC to buckle under and distribute video via iTunes, and I will live the marketing! I may hold onto lifeline cable for sports, but I will convert to watching only shows I can purchase. I’ve done the math before but here is a condensed version.
I pay about $80/month for TV. This includes a HD DVR and a boat load of TV shows but no premium channels (HBO, Showtime, etc). That is $960/year. Between my wife and I we watch about 24 new season shows every year at about 25 episodes each. So at max cost we are talking about $1200 in purchased TV. Fortunately most season shows are discounted by 10-20% if purchased as a season pass and here we can buy iTunes credits at a 5-10% discount (costco gift cards). So lets say 20% discount on average….....$960/year.
So I break even and don’t have access to all the other shows I some times watch (but probably shouldn’t). But wait. I OWN these shows so year after year I have that much more content for my own re-runs. Better than skipping commercials, I don’t even have them and trust me there is a difference!!! And I have access to everything on every computer in the house as well as every iPod, iPhone, and AppleTV.
There is one other benefit. My father now has an AppleTV and my brother will have one shortly. I have 3 systems in my home so I have two more licenses for this content. This is owned content that I can legally distribute to 5 systems and the iPods and AppleTV’s attached to them.
Things that make you go hmmmmmm.
someone would not have an Idea for that for them they think it would make it better. Ok, up till now I have simply been arguing that the AppleTV is not a stupid product and defending it’s use as a media hub for your TV. I absolutely believe in this product for this purpose. But let me take on the marketing message.
On an AI discussion thread someone mentioned that Apple could offer a virtual DVR service for the AppleTV.
It’s easy to imagine some sort of deal with Nickelodeon to stream their channels over the intenet… and it’s not that interesting. A virtual DVR would actually give you the TV guide (via AppleTV), with the ability to select shows you want to record, and then after recording it would download those shows to a list of recordings on the AppleTV (recompressed into MP4 but otherwise full quality). It’d still have ads etc of course.
They could do the same on a city-by-city basis with the major FTA networks. Being a virtual DVR has advantages and disadvantages
Pros:
1) Available as software upgrade to current AppleTV
2) Can record cable channels
3) Records every channel simultaneously
4) Automatically records show overruns. In fact if you see an ad for the next show you could retrospectively ‘record’ it.
Cons:
5) Requires bandwidth for download
6) No live sport
7) (as per 6) Can’t watch or pause Live TV
8) a PVR receives whatever is available, a virtual PVR needs servers to record for you and to recognise what regions you have rights to watch
I believe cablevision was recently permitted to offer a virtual DVR.
Chris: “And ads don’t cost anything to watch, btw. It only costs if you respond to them.”
Chris later: “I don’t know, but our lives are pretty busy, between working, studying and four kids.”
Time is money. So yes, watching ads does cost you.
“teamryan, I’m sorry you don’t understand blogs. Or opinion pieces.”
Seriously, could you be more condescending? First, you call anyone zealots that defend apple tv. Then, despite commenters listing their problems with your article, you advise that if one can’t take criticism of apple this isn’t the site for you. And now I don’t understand blogs. You simply can’t fathom or even consider that maybe the problem is with your article.
I understand blogs. I have a long history participating and creating them. From your description of a blog I will admit that I expect more from a blog than you do, especially one as large as applematters. I expect the writer to be knowledgeable on the subject, for the writer not to insult his audience. From the title your article was little more than a troll for people to disagree with you. i took the bait, that’s on me.
This is from 43 folders on what makes a good blog:
“Blog posts are written, not defecated. They show some level of craft, thinking, and continuity beyond the word count mandated by the Owner of Your Plantation. If a blog has fixed limits on post minimums and maximums? It’s not a blog: it’s a website that hires writers. Which is fine. But, it’s not really a blog.”
You seem to be happy by simply declaring Apple TV stupid and then getting a discussion as a result. A well crafted, knowledgeable article would have done the same at a higher level. We’ll agree to disagree. You’re blogging to the lowest common denominator, and it’s obviously you’re happy at the level. Mission accomplished.
P.S. At the very least, in the future you may want to actually have used the product you write about. That would give your writing at least some credibility.