I agree with your main point about popularity, but I don't agree with your reasoning. If Apple sold the exact same box at $199 with the inclusion of the Apple ecosystem it would sell like hot cakes. The issue isn't the price for performance. Apple sells (or will sell) a $199 box that can't come close to the performance of the $199 Shield (16gb version, but can easily and cheaply be expanded thanks to the micro SD slot).
Also a $449 gaming machine vs $199 4K media console that happens to also be great for gaming isn't really much of a comparison. I think the gaming machine, that costs more than twice as much as the Shield, would be even more of a niche product at that price.
The problem, as far as sales #s are concerned, is the lack of press and the lack of a mature ecosystem. However, sales #s had nothing to do with why I bought one. It does 4K, audio pass through, has Kodi, has easy expandability thanks to the microSD slot, it will sideload apps like Lynda.com and Dropbox, play high resolution tif files (important for my photos), works with Casting, works with Airplay audio, work with DLNA, will play audio through USB, has a remote with a headphone port, voice search, will work with 4K video shot on my iPhone, etc. The power makes it a joy to use because things load quickly. It is more future proof than the 1080p boxes that Apple is bringing out to replace their last 1080p box.
I will still get an AppleTV because of the ecosystem and because it has promise. However, if I had to choose one, it would be the Shield and I would live with the slower AppleTV3 since it already has a huge App Store available thanks to AirPlay and already works well in the Apple ecosystem. The main downside is lack of speed, but it hasn't stopped me from using it over the past several years. I still think the AppleTV will sell more units than the Shield, but I don't care.
I'll admit there was a point, when the Shield was first announced that I almost convinced myself I was going to buy one.
But ultimately it just didn't excite me in the end, maybe if I didn't already have 3 current gen consoles and a computer to play the kind of game Nvidia is pushing as a main feature it would have been different. Sure it can do 4K but for many of us 4K just isn't a selling point yet, I have a good TV that cost a lot of money and for once I'm not jumping on the bandwagon for a better picture I barely notice from where I sit (and yes, I've done my share of watching a 4K set.) When the technology matures a bit and there's more content I'll think about upgrading, but I've made the mistake of upgrading too early too many times before. So clearly I'm not their target market, but there will definitely be one, it's good hardware.
So 4K aside, I don't see the need for Kodi unless you absolutely must watch stolen channel streams, there are plenty of alternatives to play your own media, Plex for example will be on the new ATV. The ATV does play tiff files, DLNA isn't an issue, there will definitely be options for that, just as there is on iOS just now. Casting? Well some of us use Apple hardware and don't need that.
The only time I can ever say I use audio over usb is for my flac transfers of my vinyl and that's why I've got an amp with that capability, cut out the middle man. Don't need headphones on a remote you can use Bluetooth or the headphone socket on your amp/tv for that (I've genuinely never seen the point of some cheap, low quality headphone port on remotes) the Apple TV also has voice search and the interface in general is an absolute joy to use, very polished, very fast.
And so on and so on, blah, blah, blah.
I'm not being argumentative, just highlighting the whole, everyone is different and theres, thankfully, a choice for us all.
Personally I'm far more excited by what will happen with the AppStore on the ATV than any other feature and having tried every other streaming option (bar the Shield) more so than that of the other set top boxes.
Not to mention that I feel secure with a purchase from Apple that support for it it's not going to disappear overnight. Fire Phone? The original Google TV? Nexus Q? to name just three, how long did they last before support for them was unceremoniously dropped?
Even without an AppStore, without supporting many of the streaming services, without much support for local media playback or Plex or many more things the Apple TV still managed to shift more than 20 million units globally. That's a number that gives me confidence in my purchase.
****I've not had my medication yet this morning, so god knows how much of that above makes sense, I'm taking no responsibility for the likely tons of spelling mistakes
All video camera's sold in 2015 are 4K, most of even photocamera's can film in 4K and even the new Iphone films in 4K! And what does Apple wants us to do with all of our 4K content???? To launch a streamer in 2015 WITHOUT 4K is more then ridicilous. a 200% price raise for the new apple tv is even more ridicilous. Whats new on the new apple tv? Siri? Only in the us, not for the rest of the world. Yes you can buy games! But thats only good news for apple!! They take 30% of all sales without having to work for it. That is the new apple. Make money instead of inovate.
Incidentally Google also takes a 30% cut without having to work for it, just saying. And Siri definitely works in the UK and Spain and France and Japan and... well you get the idea
Then wait until the next AppleTV5 with 4K. I won't though.
HD iTunes movies look nearly as good as Bluray unless you sit 4 inches from your flatscreen TV. And in the meantime I'll enjoy the explosion of apps on the AppleTV4.
4K is a nice thing, but sit back a few feet from the TV and you won't notice if it's 4K or Bluray. Get over the obsessive fixation on 4K. It will come to all devices in time.
Your 30% of Apple's take is totally wrong. It was changed to 15%. Apple is the world's #1 company because people like their products, thoughtful (not trendy) innovation, ease of use and quality. All worth every penny.
http://appleinsider.com/articles/15...evenue-share-to-15-for-apple-tv-apps---report
I've saved money by ditching cable and utilizing AppleTV with Youtube, Netflix and Hulu+ along with iTunes purchases (TV and movies) and still saved big over the $85/month I was paying to the cable pirates. So you are dead wrong on Apple overcharging for it's services. I save big by embracing AppleTV. God knows I don't miss commercials every 10 minutes!!
I buy hundreds of dollars of iTunes cards during the Xmas holiday because I buy $50 dollar iTunes cards at 20-25% discounts from Best Buy, again allowing me to purchase iTune movies, music and TV for a big discount even over Amazon digital. Another discount and big win for me.
Apple is a big win for me and you too if you'd wake up to the facts.
I'm pretty sure the 15% thing doesn't apply to us (developers.) we still get a 30% cut from AppSales, which is fine by me.
