Third-Generation Apple TV Lands With a Thud 222
DeviceGuru writes "Although generally overshadowed by the iPad 3 debut, Apple also introduced the third incarnation of its Apple TV streaming media players this week. Sporting a revamped icon-based UI, the third-generation Apple TV doesn't add much to its predecessor beyond a truly-HD 1080p video output mode. Although Apple TV is still not supported by an Apple Apps Store plug-in apps ecosystem, its new UI (available as a free update for 2nd-generation Apple TVs) does seem to imply that this capability is coming soon. Meanwhile, Roku is gearing up for a $50M IPO, so this cord-cutting story is far from over."
Dear Apple... (Score:5, Interesting)
Give it an app store so I can have Plex just like on my iPhone and iPad.
I promise to buy like 3 of them minimum.
Re:Why the negative headlines? (Score:0, Interesting)
Weird ... the "Stories you'd like to read" I get with this article are :
Ritual bashing on slashdot seems much more prevalent to me than negative headlines. Maybe you're feeling sad that the "new iPad" is kind of a let down and that Apple TV is lackluster. Probably what happens when the reality distortion field fades off.
Re:Why the negative headlines? (Score:4, Interesting)
apple bashing is fine. this is a website with a freaking Borg icon for bill gates and a slant against other entities perceived to be against freedom (SCO, oracle etc.). crappy groupthink maybe but we're all intelligent and know to exercise critical judgement, and comments often show respect towards our "enemies". it's on slashdot that I learnt how much technically advanced and well integrated microsoft solutions are, or how apple succeeds by mostly giving their customers what they fucking want.
I didn't thought the headline was negative really. but that's because I didn't know what a "thud" was. so I'm pissed at the editor for using a very rare anglo-saxon word I've never seen anywhere :D.
Comment removed (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Meh ... (Score:4, Interesting)
And yet all they need to do is allow third party development, and in no time there will be 100s of thousands of apps for it. At $99 that would be a hell of a value proposition.
There seems to be no reason that they wouldn't do that. I suspect that they they wanted to get the new icon based interface out first, just in case the blogosphere decided to be critical about it. Let opinions about it die done... in a few months everyone will just accept it as the norm. Then announce 3rd party apps. At that stage, no one can spin it as a bad thing, it would be all good.
Re:Revolutionary ? (Score:5, Interesting)
Was the smartphone, or tablet, or laptop, or music player revolutionary when apple released it, or was it the device they copied from that was revolutionary.
Take the iPad as an example, yes it was revolutionary. Microsoft and others had been trying tablet concepts since the late 1980s. Sometimes calling them tablets, sometimes slates, sometimes pads. Every last one of them was a flop.
Apple launched their iPad and it was an instant success.
Using the political connotation of revolution, this is the difference between a few people grumbling, and having a revolution that takes over the country, transforming politics from then on.
Apple didn't copy any of the previous tablets, why would they? They were all flops. Since Apple's iPad revolution, every tablet manufacturer now bases their tablet designs on the iPad though.
The intelligent person doesn't deny that a revolution took place, it clearly did. They work out what it was about Apple's design that struck a chord with the public. That made it a phenomenal success where all before had been failures.
Re:Apple TV is an iPad accessory (Score:4, Interesting)
It still doesn't have a USB port
Why do you need one? That's a serious question.
With the exception of charging the battery, everything I do with my iPad I do wirelessly. Connecting a cable to it for any reason seems like a step backward.
Re:What? (Score:4, Interesting)
It's the equivalent of an adapter to let you hook your iPad, iPhone or iTunes up to your TV. It's not glamorous, but it is nicely executed and adds a lot of capability.
Re:The iPad is an evolution of the iPhone (Score:4, Interesting)
Presently at 1, your post is way undermodded.
Your remarks about Jobs understanding the nature of the PC market as intertwined with but separate from other computing markets makes a lot of sense. Had I mod points, you'd get my +1.
I also really like your contextualization of Jobs' statement that "We have to get past the idea that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose." From everything I can see, this is exactly the case.
Microsoft, while not the uncontested juggernaut of yore, is in no sense of the word "losing". What has become apparent is that Microsoft has to compete and from what I've seen its consumers who are reaping the benefits.