Apple TV is on, but who’s watching?

Something happens when a company becomes a major player in the field of technology: high expectations. After producing two of the most beloved innovations of the last decade, the iPod and the iPhone, Apple now faces the added burden of living up to its own expectations. That, in part, can be seen as one of the reasons Apple TV has been a disappointment.

For those who haven’t heard of it (which may be a lot of people, judging by the sales), Apple TV is a device that plugs into a widescreen TV and connects to a high-speed Internet connection (already either wirelessly or via Ethernet). cable). The device allows users to rent (or buy) movies from the iTunes Store and watch them on their big-screen TVs instead of just their computers. While that’s not the only purpose of the device, it seems to be the main one. A person can also use the Apple TV box to buy individual episodes of TV shows, listen to music, view Flickr photos, and watch YouTube videos.

The 2.5-pound Apple TV box is essentially a small computer and is available with a 40GB hard drive (for $229) or a 160GB hard drive (for $329). The box must be “linked” to a computer in order for it to work through that person’s iTunes Store account. With Apple TV, a person can instantly rent a movie from iTunes and download it to the Apple TV box. HD movies are $4.99 to rent (for new titles) and $3.99 for older titles, while standard definition movies are $3.99 and $2.99. Apple designed the Apple TV system to encourage people to download movies, but the main problem with the device is that it doesn’t really give people an incentive to do so.

According to most reviews, the quality of Apple TV HD movies is decent, but not as good as Blu-ray. And the selection of movies currently available (in HD or SD) is very limited (still in the hundreds), despite Apple having deals with major studios. For regular renters, NetFlix offers more variety and a better price, though renters have to wait to receive DVDs in the mail or watch movies on the computer. And, for those who want immediacy, movie rentals through a cable On Demand service may cost a dollar more, but it eliminates download time (which, for HD movies, can take a few hours) and the need to Spend a couple hundred bucks on an Apple TV box. Users can also get cable DVR or TiVo to record TV shows instead of paying $1.99 to rent episodes from iTunes.

So while Apple TV may offer many different services, it doesn’t offer anything better than what’s already out there. In fact, the biggest benefit of Apple TV may be the ability to look at Flickr photos or watch YouTube videos on a big screen. While the iPhone and iPod revolutionized cell phone use and portable music, Apple TV, in its current incarnation, hasn’t really improved the movie rental experience. And until it does, this little white box will remain the black sheep of the Apple family.