Review: Apple TV

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I have had about a month to play around around with Apple TV which gives me more than enough time to write a proper review.

So let us get down to the nitty gritty.

Hardware
The Apple TV design is beautiful and small. The specs sheet looks good:  A4 processor, HDMI output and b/g/n wireless support. The remote is also beautiful and small. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can use those devices to navigate Apple TV. What did it need? A Blu-ray version or some method to reduce the amount of HDMI cords you need. If you are like me, you have one HDMI cord for the cable box, one for the Blu-ray player and one for the Apple TV. The Sony Google TV would have combined all three (TV, Blu-ray, Google TV) into one HDMI cord going into your TV, although it would have cost an extra $300 bones.

Software
The user interface is gorgeous and easy to use as you would expect from Apple. You have the ability to buy and rent movies/ TV shows from the vast iTunes library. You can sync up your iTunes account which means your photos and music come to life on your TV. You can browse YouTube, which happens to be a good source of karaoke material if that is your thing. MLB and NBA recently put up content through Apple TV; giving you scores, standing and highlights. But most importantly, and the reason I bought an Apple TV, it lets you stream movies from Netflix. What could Apple TV use? Hulu Plus and Amazon Video on Demand support, but we will not get it since they compete against iTunes. Apple TV could also use more applications.

Other Stuff
The price of Apple TV is $99.  Under one hundred dollars for something that can stream Netflix is awesome. Apple TV is definitely worth its price. As you know, I am wary of Apple as a company because they favor a closed system vs an open system. They are a paradox, they innovate so well and yet their grip on certain aspects of technology stifles the competition which stifles innovation. But again for $99 to stream Netflix, I am willing to overlook Apple's closed system.


Overall
Way above average hardware, way above average software and a great price. If you are looking for something to stream Netflix, I would highly recommend you check out Apple TV.

9/10

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