Apple TV sales up 300% over year-ago quarter

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 78
    pmcdpmcd Posts: 396member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by eAi View Post


    I've heard it doesn't work terribly well with some video (too slow?)... I'm also not sure I want to invest in such a 'closed' system... I'll investigate some more. Either way, I might wait for the Mac Mini update and see what happens. If we've not seen one by the end of March, I might just get whatever available now...



    It works great with XBMC. I might add that the Mini also works great with Plex. The Mini is similar to an Apple TV with added computer capability. It goes very well with an HDTV. On the other hand the Apple TV is more in the spirit of what most non-gamers want from a TV. Both are excellent choices (even the current Mini) but the Apple TV is much less expensive.



    philip
  • Reply 42 of 78
    pmcdpmcd Posts: 396member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    No...but many of us don't want to pay some cable company $80 a month. Apple TV with a satellite or cable package is a bit redundant.



    I think they go well together. Apple TV does give you a nice way of getting digital media unto the bigger screen. While the component video cables will do the same for the iPhone it is a real hassle and the resolution is not as good. I tried the universal dock with my iPhone and kept wondering what the point of the remote was. The Apple TV is really nicely integrated and with XBMC it's very interesting.



    philip
  • Reply 43 of 78
    areseearesee Posts: 776member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    1.) You can't stream DVD playback from your computer through the ATV.

    2.) You can't search your own music or video files direct -only iTunes mUsic to buy- IMAGINE? NO netflix or any other rental service - ONLY iTunes.

    3.) You can't rip your own DVDs to it- only rent or buy- It's an iTunes DIgital Jukebox.

    4.) NO disc drive- your DVDs are obsolete. AT least you can rip your CD's to iTunes.

    5.) NO recording allowed. I know - blame the studios- never Apple.

    6.) NO on or off switch on the machine itself-WTF?

    7.) NO repeat or playlists for videos.

    8.) N0 INTERNET



    You got some wrong statements mixed in with the good points here.

    1.) You got a good point here.

    2.) I see my complete iTunes Library. And very little of my library comes from the iTunes Store. You just have to be aware of the ATV file limitations.

    2a.) I do wish that Apple would open up the ATV so that Boxee, Netflix and the BBC could all provide ATV plugins for their services.

    3.) I've done this using Handbrake.

    4.) Using Handbrake I can rip to iTunes just as I can CD's. -- Because of the legal uncertainty of this, do not expect an Apple solution anytime soon.

    5.) Works just fine when you use your computer. -- But that's just your point about using the Mini.

    6.) Until Apple fixes it network syncing issue this defiantly a problem. As a minimum the ATV needs a front panel reset switch.

    7.) The last update added video playlists. And joy, joy, the ATV does not interrupt video playback by doing a syncing operation when playing video from a playlist.

    8.) Unless your talking about streaming off of the internet, I do not see this as a problem.
  • Reply 44 of 78
    imatimat Posts: 208member
    AppleTV sales could have increased way beyond 300% and even become more than a hobby if TV shows and movies would be made available on iTunes worldwide.



    Apple's quarter was good because of international sales, so I wonder if this will push them to talk to content creators to deliever iTunes video content worldwide.

    The EU, always keen in forcing Apple to open up it's music business to competitors and uniform it across Europe, doesn't seem to mind at all about the movie industry.



    I own an AppleTV, and am really happy about the product (even if I cannot buy any video content from iTunes). But the adoption rate would really increase if people were given such ability.



    AppleTV needs:

    - web browser

    - widgets

    -CONTENT, CONTENT...

    - some games? An AppStore? Maybe.
  • Reply 45 of 78
    stwstw Posts: 21member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    I expect that if Apple can hit a $149 pricepoint with the Apple TV they will see sales improve by %1000.



    First they should hit the US$ 229 price point.



    German price:

    40 GB 299,00 ? = US$ 390 (without VAT 328)

    160 GB 399,00 ? = US$ 520 (without VAT 437)
  • Reply 46 of 78
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stw View Post


    German price:

    40 GB 299,00 ? = US$ 390 (without VAT 328)

    160 GB 399,00 ? = US$ 520 (without VAT 437)



    Agreed, the prices in Europe are horrific. We never got the last round of ATV price cuts in the UK so I assume mainland Europe missed out on them too.



    It makes the Mac mini a no-brainer for Europeans. A thousand times more functionality for only a third more money.
  • Reply 47 of 78
    dave k.dave k. Posts: 1,306member
    I used to own one, sold after a couple of months of ownership. To add to the list of problems with the unit:



    - There is no hierarchy for your movies. They are listed as one big list. This I still find ridiculous.



    - The remote sucks (especially when you need to type to search something). Apple should have produced a real remote or keyboard as an accessory.



    - HD Podcasts are cool. But most of them are too infrequently updated (maybe this problem has been fixed).



    - The AppleTV still can't read my iMovie project and play them on my television.



    - The USB port needs to be enabled already. Whether or not a user needs to add a larger external drive or even to act as a pass through to play content on your television from you iPod. This needs to be enabled.



    - The whole streaming/sync thing is flawed. If I have all of my content on my Mac, why cant' I stream everything from my computer or remove movies from my iTunes library to be housed on my AppleTV?



    It will be interesting where Apple takes this product... I don't think Apple really knows which direction to take with the product that is why is called a hobby.



    Hacking a AppleTV may be fun, but its not practical if this will someday be a flagship product.



    Dave
  • Reply 48 of 78
    gordygordy Posts: 1,004member
    I've also had one since it was announced. The only flaw I see continues to be codec support \ I know that can be hacked, but I'm not in to all of that.



    That being said, the AppleTV experience if flawless, and leagues ahead of any other device on the market.



    Since new agreements were recently made with the content providers, I assume more features will be coming soon.
  • Reply 49 of 78
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    No...but many of us don't want to pay some cable company $80 a month. Apple TV with a satellite or cable package is a bit redundant.



    You are obviously not a sports Fan.
  • Reply 50 of 78
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    Everyone wants the AppleTV to do what it wasn't designed to do. Apple saw that there were billions of songs, millions of TV shows, movie rentals, and movie purchases off iTunes. There was no good way to get those from your Mac or PC to your TV. So this is why there is AppleTV. To get your iTunes content to your TV. Its not designed to be a DVD player, blu-ray player, stream from Netflix, or BBC, ESPN, etc. Its for iTunes only. Its a simple and fairly cheap device to do a simple task, nothing more. If you don't like, then don't buy it. I just love how something is a piece of shit because it doesn't suit your needs and it never was meant to. You should have researched before you bought and not just assumed that just because there's an Apple logo on it, that it will work for you. Go buy what does suit your needs and stop bitching. Apple can't make everything for everyone...some people just can't face that fact.



    Building a widescreen TV with AppleTV built in wouldn't necessarily be the great thing it seems to be. Now you have someone who already has a big screen TV who has to go out and get an Apple branded one just to get iTunes content? Doesn't make any sense. Plus, you now have a $3,000-$5,000 device to buy instead of a $299 device. There's a huge difference there. Not everyone has a money tree in their backyard.
  • Reply 51 of 78
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacOldTimer View Post


    You are obviously not a sports Fan.



    I am for my local teams but I'm not paying $$$ a month for ESPN support to watch other games. I can go to the local pub and watch the good games for free or the cost of a beer and lunch and feel a bit more electricity.



    In the end it is "I" that choose my media consumption. With the "all you can eat" method it can make you feel like you "must" sit in front of the boob tube and get your money's worth.
  • Reply 52 of 78
    I've sold enough AppleTV's and seen enough people interested in them to have an idea that the sales are actually pretty decent. It could benefit from a renewed marketing push, though.



    Having owned one since Christmas, I would say the only thing I would fix is software based: It's really hard to get a list of just HD movie rentals, or new rentals period. There's a "new releases" section, but it includes movies that are for sale and might not be up for rental until a couple weeks later (I also wish they'd allow you to rent a movie the day it comes out: that's the sole reason we've kept our Netflix subscription).



    But it's a slick little machine, and we've gotten a ton of use out of it already, and we'll get even more once we get our DVD library on there.
  • Reply 53 of 78
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NasserAE View Post


    I really don't have ApplTV yet because I am still thinking of either buying a PS3 or an AppleTV with PS2/XBoX/or Wii.



    I'd say skip the AppleTV and get the PS3. It's really not that much more than an AppleTV but can do so much more than the AppleTV (and doesn't require hacking to get there).
  • Reply 54 of 78
    jowie74jowie74 Posts: 540member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Postulant View Post


    I love the convenience of my AppleTV:



    Call my gf over

    Order up a pizza

    Hop in the shower

    Cuddle up

    Rent



    All those things... It's amazing how versatile the Apple TV can be!
  • Reply 55 of 78
    davidwdavidw Posts: 2,036member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tetzel1517 View Post


    I've sold enough AppleTV's and seen enough people interested in them to have an idea that the sales are actually pretty decent. It could benefit from a renewed marketing push, though.



    Having owned one since Christmas, I would say the only thing I would fix is software based: It's really hard to get a list of just HD movie rentals, or new rentals period. There's a "new releases" section, but it includes movies that are for sale and might not be up for rental until a couple weeks later (I also wish they'd allow you to rent a movie the day it comes out: that's the sole reason we've kept our Netflix subscription).



    But it's a slick little machine, and we've gotten a ton of use out of it already, and we'll get even more once we get our DVD library on there.



    Apple would have also sold more ATV by now if they had included an S-video output for older sets. When ATV came out, an HD TV was still pretty expensive. HD TV's has come down over 50% since the introduction of ATV and I image this is why there's a surge in ATV sales. More people now own a TV that ATV can hook up to.
  • Reply 56 of 78
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  • Reply 57 of 78
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lifterus View Post


    To me there's no value in it unless you put Boxee with Hulu on it (which Apple kills every update)......



    aTV doesn't make much sense unless you prefer iTunes because you have a strong need to watch movies on your iPhone or iPod Touch. In other words, if you have no intention of taking the movies with you on the go with your iPhone, then there's no good reason whatsoever to go with aTV. You're just being a foolish consumer.



    You started off good by explaining why you didn't feel it was a good value but then your final summary you start making judgment about how everyone should feel. I want the Apple TV no just for watching movies but for viewing my photographs and playing back my purchased music and my own creations. Though the device has "TV" in the name it's not solely a video playback device and the naysayers always seem to forget about the other options (which mean nothing to them often but something to many other people)
  • Reply 58 of 78
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  • Reply 59 of 78
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lifterus View Post


    That's like saying "I want the AppleTV because it has HDMI output" - so what? They all have that. You can view photos on the other devices as well. The only thing the aTV does exclusively is that your movie rentals/purchases will work on your iPhone or iPod Touch. That's it. Meanwhile there's whole bunch of things it doesn't do, and it's really expensive. And even if portable iTunes content is important to you, you can get still get that with a Mac Mini. It's more expensive, but with a Mac Mini you can have the real Boxee with Netflix & Hulu, and you can do plenty of other things with it like watch ripped DVDs. So again, I don't see any value in aTV. Don't get me wrong, i think it's a cool device. But it needs to be $99. Otherwise it's just an unwise purchase decision when you compare it to all the other options.



    Yeah and I can whip out the photoalbum on the shelf and view my photos there. When we discuss what we "can" do it's easy to distill it down to the most basic. Sure other devices view photos and videos and music but what many users are looking for and Apple's raison d'être is making these types of tasks easier than the next guy. Consumers don't give a shit about Boxee or XBMC or Hulu and Netflix. CE devices are meant to be easy to setup ...many of you are taking your Geek ethos and applying that to a CE device that's meant to be easy.



    So no Apple's not going to make a device that is the hardware equivalent of VLC that plays what in God knows codec you've downloaded from the internet. Boo hoo. Build a HTPC and put whatever software you want but Apple is right in being somewhat conservative here.



    I do think the people that want to get all the other stuff should get a Mac mini.
  • Reply 60 of 78
    amoryaamorya Posts: 1,103member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macxpress View Post


    Everyone wants the AppleTV to do what it wasn't designed to do. Apple saw that there were billions of songs, millions of TV shows, movie rentals, and movie purchases off iTunes. There was no good way to get those from your Mac or PC to your TV. So this is why there is AppleTV. To get your iTunes content to your TV. Its not designed to be a DVD player, blu-ray player, stream from Netflix, or BBC, ESPN, etc. Its for iTunes only. Its a simple and fairly cheap device to do a simple task, nothing more.



    I happen to think the single task should be "playing video content from your computer on your TV". Whack it full of codecs, make it play anything I have on my computer.



    As it happens, I have hacked my AppleTV to do this. I bought it knowing that it would be useless until I hacked it. (That, and my TV doesn't have component in, so I needed a hack there too.)



    The thing is, now I've bought it, I may well buy some things from the iTunes store. But if I couldn't hack it to play things like DivX and FLV, I wouldn't have bought it. It's all well and good saying "Don't buy it", but we would all win if the AppleTV gained functionality such as this.
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