My general understanding of hard drives is smaller capacity drives are more expensive. There is so much one can do to reduce the cost of such a small drive. After a while it is more cost effective to just increase the drive size (capacity).
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Apple Selling Apple TV Near Cost?
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My general understanding of hard drives is smaller capacity drives are more expensive. There is so much one can do to reduce the cost of such a small drive. After a while it is more cost effective to just increase the drive size (capacity).
Actually, Apple's margins are even lower than iSuppli's numbers. iSuppli does not take into account "assembly, packaging, shipping, and development costs." Plus, iSuppli does claim to take into account bulk pricing.
Is that for a 2.5" drive? That's what the AppleTV has in it, a 2.5" hard disk, not a 3.5".
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I'm not sure if this has been asked yet... But does anyone think the take 2 update will be released simultaneously with 10.5.2?
That would be like Xmas all over again.
I'm not sure if this has been asked yet... But does anyone think the take 2 update will be released simultaneously with 10.5.2?
That would be like Xmas all over again.
I totally agree with you. The PS3 is a beauty. You cannot compare 50Mbps A/V bandwidth support with 1080p AVC High Profile support (PS3) to just 5Mbps 720p AVC Standard profile support (AppleTV) I have the AppleTV also and it has its advantages too. But, Apple should really have their interface come up on millions of households. I think other than the Playstation Network, and game playback, the interface should be taken up by Apple and merged in. That would be a cool concept.
However, these are just pipe dreams since Apple does not like to work with other companies so openly. The last time that happened was the Rokr and you know how that went.
Using XBL as a guide means you would be looking at 2.5-5GB files. Depends on length and max bitrate.
Apple TV price
I can say I wasn't all that surprised at the price drop at MacWorld for the AppleTV - my wife picked the 160 GB one up for me at Costco about 2 weeks before Christmas for $329. I was shocked because 1) it was being sold at Costco, and 2) it was $70 off Apple retail, which was lwer than even the Black Friday price and totally unknown for Apple products at a retailer. So was this a sign of things to come?
But I am very happy with my purchase, as it looks great on my 60" HDTV. And the update should be even better, not the least reason being that although I have a Blu-Ray player, I (hopefully) will now also have access to HD-DVD titles via download and can forgo buying a player for that format.
I can say I wasn't all that surprised at the price drop at MacWorld for the AppleTV - my wife picked the 160 GB one up for me at Costco about 2 weeks before Christmas for $329. I was shocked because 1) it was being sold at Costco, and 2) it was $70 off Apple retail, which was lwer than even the Black Friday price and totally unknown for Apple products at a retailer. So was this a sign of things to come?
But I am very happy with my purchase, as it looks great on my 60" HDTV. And the update should be even better, not the least reason being that although I have a Blu-Ray player, I (hopefully) will now also have access to HD-DVD titles via download and can forgo buying a player for that format.
Why are people saying that this thing requires an HDTV? Doesn't this work with SD sets? When I checked the settings menu, I could've sworn I saw the option for lower res TV's.
I think the HD content is only for rental. Not purchase at this point. So the HD movies would only be on your
tv for a limited time. And you can always stream content from your computer to the unit without actually syncing content onto it. So if you're really concerned about saving the money on the 40gb, you have options.
Haven't you ever heard of an HDMI switch?
You can get one specifically made for the
TV from Datavision here:http://www.datavis.com/cgi-bin/product.exe?prrfnbr=471565&site=QIGO ($64.99, Apple sells them for $99.99)
Your
TV sits on top of it and all you need to do is switch the input from the remote or a switch on the front. Easy peasy.The price drop got me... lol
And I am sure Apple will make a lot of $$$ from movie rentals, as soon as it is available, and especially HD movies!
These estimates about how much things cost to make... I dunno.
The ATV is just a huge thing if Job's vision plays out, that people want to leave their sat/cables and just watch selected downloaded shows.
A few people post that yeah tv is all a bunch of crap and they have indeed dumped their sat/cable and only watch this or that on their ATV.
But, there are a lot of posts from people who don't know whether to buy the ATV, a Blue ray player or both. They aren't giving up on their sat/cables.
So, can Apple find enough hobbyists and true tv program haters to make this work, or would they sell more of these if they were combo Blue-ray/ATV/control centers/home theater hubs that would appeal to a wider audience?
The big market is in covering all bases. Many people would like some sort of friendly interface on their home theaters ("my wife can't even turn the new tv on").
If Apple could get some sort of combo system in people's homes, then they would have a better chance of selling downloads.
Right now, people are being asked to make a decision and that is a tough thing even for enthusiast that post here. Imagine how perplexed the average semi-tech person is.
no DVR will be its downfall
i said it when it was announced and i will say it again. theTV is doomed to suffer a drawn out demise undoubtedly if they dont suck it up and put in a dvr.
sorry apple but the price of cable for mainstream shows will beat your per show fees hands down every time for anyone that watches more than 3 or 4 series. not to mention the fact that there is no 'channel surfing' and so on.
this has been discussed endlessly here and everywhere else. yes they want itunes money but they have to decide what this still-pointless little box is destined to do. while i hate the cable companies, a basic cable subscription & Tivo beat the appletv in every aspect that i would ever be interested in.
like i said before, i don't want to have to think about paying for each show one by one. if i had to do that, i wouldnt watch much of anything. cable & tivo take out the 'have to be home when its on' aspect and offer photo sharing, weather, traffic reports, podcasts, all of the live365 radio streaming stations, etc. in my opinion there is no room for apple's current and lackluster box
i said it when it was announced and i will say it again. the
TV is doomed to suffer a drawn out demise undoubtedly if they dont suck it up and put in a dvr.sorry apple but the price of cable for mainstream shows will beat your per show fees hands down every time for anyone that watches more than 3 or 4 series. not to mention the fact that there is no 'channel surfing' and so on.
this has been discussed endlessly here and everywhere else. yes they want itunes money but they have to decide what this still-pointless little box is destined to do. while i hate the cable companies, a basic cable subscription & Tivo beat the appletv in every aspect that i would ever be interested in.
like i said before, i don't want to have to think about paying for each show one by one. if i had to do that, i wouldnt watch much of anything. cable & tivo take out the 'have to be home when its on' aspect and offer photo sharing, weather, traffic reports, podcasts, all of the live365 radio streaming stations, etc. in my opinion there is no room for apple's current and lackluster box
Re: iSuppli claims
That's my point. If I can get a one-off 60GB 2.5" drive at $45 in the retail channel (which means the retailer is also taking a cut), I just don't see Apple paying $37.50 for bulk pricing for a 40GB 2.5" drive.
That's my point. If I can get a one-off 60GB 2.5" drive at $45 in the retail channel (which means the retailer is also taking a cut), I just don't see Apple paying $37.50 for bulk pricing for a 40GB 2.5" drive.
I'd be interested to see if they Apple would start offering a subscription service on TV shows. I think it would represent a significant alternative to cable. I would definitely look at doing that.
With cable, I pay a minimum of $55/mo and am forced to deal with commercials and endless hours of infomercials (talk about a screw job, I'm paying to get 1/2 hour long commercials).
If the show comes on at an inconvenient time, I either have to get a Tivo or rent the cable co's horrible DVR box so I can watch it when I want.
With iTMS, when I buy a series, I get no commercials. That's an automatic win there. If they could provide it slightly cheaper on a rental-like behavior (something like 2 full viewings) -- I'd jump on it. Double bonus for letting me watch a show when *I* want to watch it.
As for movie rentals, they seem to be right in line with the Cable co's pricing.
Is it a perfect solution? No. Is it an interesting alternative? You bet, esp. with movie rentals. I'm planning to get one on my next visit to the Apple Store.
480i for the original Apple TV. It will be interesting to see if V2 maintains that compatibility.
A.
i said it when it was announced and i will say it again. the
sorry apple but the price of cable for mainstream shows will beat your per show fees hands down every time for anyone that watches more than 3 or 4 series. not to mention the fact that there is no 'channel surfing' and so on.
this has been discussed endlessly here and everywhere else. yes they want itunes money but they have to decide what this still-pointless little box is destined to do. while i hate the cable companies, a basic cable subscription & Tivo beat the appletv in every aspect that i would ever be interested in.
like i said before, i don't want to have to think about paying for each show one by one. if i had to do that, i wouldnt watch much of anything. cable & tivo take out the 'have to be home when its on' aspect and offer photo sharing, weather, traffic reports, podcasts, all of the live365 radio streaming stations, etc. in my opinion there is no room for apple's current and lackluster box
Here here.... although I'll still buy one for all the movies i've burnt onto my HD
not enough slots
Getting back to the not having enough HDMI slots. Has any one had good/bad luck with a HDMI switcher. I've seen them on Gizmodo and from Cables to Go. Any buddy have any recommendations?
Getting back to the not having enough HDMI slots. Has any one had good/bad luck with a HDMI switcher. I've seen them on Gizmodo and from Cables to Go. Any buddy have any recommendations?
Apple needs to update the Mac Mini
Apple TV is far too limited (no Safari, no integration w/iPhone, etc.), they need to update the Mac Mini -- there is still no 802.11N, + they should update Bluetooth to 2.1... Adding a Blu-Ray drive would be the bomb, and really escalate the relevance of the Mini... HDMI out, would also be a very smart addition, I guess HDCP is needed too -- I assume HDCP does not get sent over Mac Mini's DVI port?! Anyone know? Just a few minor tweaks to the Mac Mini, and it could be the Apple TV solution I have been looking for!
Also gotta wonder why it's a 5400 RPM drive in the Mini -- can it handle the heat of a 7200 RPM drive? Also wonder why they share graphics memory w/main memory -- seems like a bad idea. The Mini's FireWire port should be 1394b 800 or the new 3200 preferably.
Apple also should update Front Row on all Macs to replicate the non-redundant functionality of Apple TV...
Also, why the heck hasn't Apple enabled iPhone to work as a remote for Macs & Apple TV?! iPhone should have an IR port added as well...
Apple TV is far too limited (no Safari, no integration w/iPhone, etc.), they need to update the Mac Mini -- there is still no 802.11N, + they should update Bluetooth to 2.1... Adding a Blu-Ray drive would be the bomb, and really escalate the relevance of the Mini... HDMI out, would also be a very smart addition, I guess HDCP is needed too -- I assume HDCP does not get sent over Mac Mini's DVI port?! Anyone know? Just a few minor tweaks to the Mac Mini, and it could be the Apple TV solution I have been looking for!
Also gotta wonder why it's a 5400 RPM drive in the Mini -- can it handle the heat of a 7200 RPM drive? Also wonder why they share graphics memory w/main memory -- seems like a bad idea. The Mini's FireWire port should be 1394b 800 or the new 3200 preferably.
Apple also should update Front Row on all Macs to replicate the non-redundant functionality of Apple TV...
Also, why the heck hasn't Apple enabled iPhone to work as a remote for Macs & Apple TV?! iPhone should have an IR port added as well...
I did buy a "Take 2" Apple TV, but I do feel I will end up using a Mac Mini (preferably a refreshed one - even if it just has a GMA3x00 GPU) as my main HTPC because I imagine I will want more flexibility and will accept more complexity to get it.
On the plus side, the Apple TV can be used with another TV in the house.
On the plus side, the Apple TV can be used with another TV in the house.
I've been debating, too, whether to put an Apple TV or a Mac Mini at the heart of a TV for my kitchen.
Advantages of Apple TV: slimmer (easier to hide), MUCH cheaper, seamless UI, handles iTunes rentals, no external power brick, no noisy fan, "n" wireless
Advantages of Mac Mini: can also play DVDs, display news/weather, surf the web, show recipes, internet radio, can set to auto-sleep after idle timeout. Does most of what the Apple TV can do but interface might not always be so seamless.
Would probably try a program like Media Central on the Mac Mini instead of just using Front Row.
The DVD playback is actually quite a big factor. If I buy an Apple TV, then I either need another DVD player (and a way to keep the clutter down in the kitchen) or pay a lot of money for a TV with built-in DVD playback.
So far I'm leaning toward the Mac Mini.
Point taken, BUT as ever...(ad nauseam, even)...price in US
$229...
price in UK WITHOUT SALES TAX ( I capitalise, 'cause everybody in the US always says..."What about taxes..."
169.36 British pounds sterling = 330.96 US dollars
Exchange rate: 1.954200
Rate valid as of: 29/1/2008
SO you pay $229, we pay $330.
Apple, you can stick it where the sun don't shine.
Even if we HAD anything to rent, or buy...