We've
always loved the Apple TV. And now that we've had the chance to install the
newer version of the device (released last September), for a number of folks, we figured we'd update you on what we think makes it so cool. We’re impressed with Apple's latest offering for the living room for three main reasons: its usability, its features, and its price.
Usability
The Apple TV is ridiculously easy to use, and really, we wouldn’t expect much less of Apple. It’s not hard to set up and works by connecting to your computer(s) running iTunes and your Apple devices (iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches) via iTunes Home Sharing. Once you sign in with an iTunes account, your Apple TV can connect to all those devices on your network. While using the Apple Remote that comes with the Apple TV might be a bit clunky, you can actually use your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch as a remote after downloading a free app, which we think is pretty cool.
Features
Apart from doing what the old Apple TV did so well (namely, allowing you to access video, audio, and photos from computers on your network on your TV), the newer version has a few new features that really blow us away. The Netflix integration works seamlessly. The video quality is great at 720p. And AirPlay, a feature which allows you to push video, audio, and photo content from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch directly to your TV, is incredible. Seriously: you can be watching a video on YouTube on your iPhone and immediately throw it up on your TV screen. We’ve found this feature to be especially interesting with photos. People really seem to enjoy being able to view photos from their iOS devices on their TVs.
Price
$99. That’s it. Seriously. For everything that the Apple TV does, we feel like this is a very reasonable price and makes the device all the more attractive.
Have questions about adding the Apple TV to your living room? Give us a call, or hit us up on
Facebook or
Twitter. We’d be happy to chat with you about it.