Hooray, the AppleTV Update is Here !

Okay, I am a nerd, what am I supposed to do. But anyway I was ecstatic to see the AppleTV update is now available for download. This update includes ability to rent right form the AppleTV, flick integration, a new “look and feel”, and .mac photostreams. Thanks to the Crucnhgear guys for putting this is my face. I am totally about to kick the sick kids off the TV so I can download and play !

AppleTV: See, Apple Had A Plan

Recently Robert Scoble had a piece “The MacMini HDTV Revolution” where he plainly states

We all agreed that Apple TV sucks. More on that in a minute.

So does it still suck so much now Robert ?  I do not think so.  With Apples announcements about its upgrades today, like I said previously, Apple is well positioned here to take over our living rooms as well.  With the rental offerings, HD content, direct access to iTunes, it makes the AppleTV so much more valuable.

There is a point I am surprised I have not hear anyone making yet … part of Roberts love affair with the Mac Mini was Dave Winer’s recent piece of software called called FlickrFan. It basically pulls flickr photos from streams and displays them on your tv, Mac desktop, or Mac laptop. It seems like a very cool product and the mac mini is the perfect platform for it.  Well Apple went ahead and pulled the carpetright out from underneath Mr. Winer with the addition of Flickr streaming to the AppleTV.

Now I am not sure I can wait till the new software update comes out ….. I need help

Netflix Uncaps Streaming Video Rentals. And ?

So there is a lot of buzz going on today around the web to the news that  Netflix has announced that it will begin unlimited movie streaming of its 6000 title catalogue.  According to Duncan Riley over at Techcrunch:

The move is said to be in response to the expected announcement by Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the Macworld Expo Tuesday that iTunes will offer movie rentals from most major studios. The expected price of the iTunes rented movies is $3.99 each, putting Netflix is a competitive position for high value regular movie watchers.

Am I the only one who thinks this is a non issue here?  Netflix streams to a browser, meaning you have to be on your computer to watch the movie.  Apple has the AppleTV to rent movies from, if the rumors are true.  The AppleTV allows me to watch the content on my television.  Hopefully the content will be available in HD making it an even better experience.

In any case, watch in your browser or on your TV, which one would you choose ?  I’ll take the TV.

Netflix & LG Fire Back at Apple

According to this Wall Street Journal article, Netflix and LG electronics have teamed up to offer direct movie downloads to an LG branded piece of hardware. This would be a very interesting twist, especially on the heels of MacWorld where the rumors have been iTunes movie rentals.

I wrote a post earlier last week stating an Apple run at movie rentals with the AppleTV could prove costly for the likes of Netflix. However, it looks as if good ol’ Netflix had a card up their sleeve. We will stay tuned for more details.

The only issue I see is that according the Silicon Alley Insider, the LG box is not due out till later this year.  Apple already has a piece of hardware in pace and may give them a small leg up.

Apple Movie Rentals, Anyone Questioning the AppleTV Now ?

Earlier this year Apple released the AppleTV as what Steve Jobs called a hobby project. It was a pretty cool device and I was impressed with it. I saw it as a good move to finally bridge the gap from the computer into our living rooms. I bought one and can honestly say it has been awesome. I have moved my entire DVD collection over to iTunes and use the AppleTV th stream the content right to an LCD in the living room. Works great.

However, lately there has been a lot of press about the low numbers of the AppleTV sales and questioning whether it should join the scrap heap or not. Notice that we never really heard any news out of Apple. They just sat back and let the talk go on. What I think Apple has known, as I have thought from the the beginning, is that the AppleTV is the perfect (okay perfect is a strong word) platform for Apple to leverage content on to. Content like, oh say … an online movie rental. The AppleTV has simply been a placeholder if you will. It is almost like iTunes is a tool where Apple loses $$ most likely to drive hardware sales in the form of the iPod.

So now we have the news that Fox has signed a deal with Apple to rent movies through the iTunes store for $2.99 for a 30 day rental. See Apple is pretty smart, they have the platform in place, now they have the content to flow to it. I think it is a great move and will make the folks at NetFlix and Blockbuster shake in their shoes a bit. Netflix is worrying about the size of the envelopes and the Postal Service while Apple is geting ready to finally deliver the digital content we have been waiting for. If only it is HD, that would be the capper.

Om Malik has another take on it. He thinks

The rumor is being viewed by some as a way to revive the flagging Apple TV platform. The reality is that Apple needs to beef up its video offerings if it wants to continue the iPod cash machine humming. The best clue is the easy-to-rip-and-transfer-to-iPod capabilities that may be built into future FOX DVD offerings.

I agree with what he is saying, videos are in short supply on iTunes and if you see his first sentence about the reviving of AppleTV, I also agree. I don’t think this is about “reviving” the AppleTV. I doubt Apple has cared too much because as they have been working this rental deal, they have known they have the Ace in their back pocket, the Ace that allows an easy pipeline right from the iTunes store to the users tv. In other words the AppleTV. Amazon for instance has video rentals, but they don’t control the entire flow. They rely on other vendors and hardware. Apple will own the entire process, and with their track record of easy to use customer experiences it is bound to be a seamless intuitive process.

I am totally excited by this news. The ability to scan the iTunes rentals right form my tv and start the download and viewing will be awesome. I will definitely watch more movies. I can only hope they actually start to use the HDMI interface they built into the hardware and deliver the HD content we viewers are demanding.