Let’s be honest, since its launch back in March 2007, it has not exactly been as big as can be expected.
Yet, I have always had a little flame for the media box that is AppleTV and often found myself stopping by the Apple Store with my mouse hovering over the ‘Add To Basket’ button. Earlier this month, Uncle Steve decided to have another go at the AppleTV market with Take Two.
A software update to the AppleTV that would allow better streaming (no PC required) improved online photo’s with the addition of Flickr, but also the ability to take advantage of iTunes new movie rental service. All of this with a reduced price ticket.
With my current media setup, I have all my music stored on my main machine; a G5 up in an office space in the loft. But when I want to chill out with some music, I stream it down to my Mac Notebook that can be plugged into the household stereo. But what about those time when I would like to listen to some music and still surf from the comfort of my sofa, well, I end up with the headphones on and being anti-social. So having an AppleTV that I can stream too whilst keeping my laptop free would be spectacular. Yet not awesome enough for me to swallow the £199 price tag; so that mice kept on moving past the buy it now button. However now they have thrown in Flickr integration and a cheaper price, I’m 99% sold.
So I made my way back only to find no price reduction. Now I know the dollar is not doing great to the pound but if you compare it, US priced AppleTV: £115 after the promised price reduction.
In the UK it is still £199 with no price reduction in sight. Of course, us UK residents are quite used to not getting all the services from the off. The movie downloads will not be here until 'later this year’ which is just before 'around that time’ if you are curious. But this is all down to that DRM bug that makes every one sweat and panic. Yet, this is a price reduction, not a service, not something that needs an infrastructure to prepare.
So come on, just knock £50 off the price, be done with it and wait for some orders. I, for one, would purchase it.