You fail to mention the THOUSANDS of TV shows and video podcasts available for download, which I believe also count as "content". Also, an argument could be made that Apple will begin offering HD movies, seeing as how the Apple TV is designed for HD TVs.

Doug, there you go again hatin' on the good folks at Apple.

How about a little $5,000 side bet on the year end price.

I say above $115.00

What say you?

Beltway Greg

Apple has not played their cards right, at least not yet, with content owners.

Look at what Microsoft is doing:
''''''''''''
Multichannel News
New Line in play for Xbox
Mini-major joins video download service
By BEN FRITZ
A&E shows including ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ will be available for download via Xbox Live.

New Line is the latest studio to join Microsoft’s Xbox Live video download service, while existing partner Paramount is going high-def.
Mini-major will provide new-release and library titles for digital rental via the service, which allows gamers with an Xbox 360 console to download movies and watch them on their TVs. Par movies, which have been available in standard def since the Xbox Live Video Marketplace launched in November, will be offered in high definition for the first time.
Xbox Live is the only digital movie store that offers HD downloads. That has helped it hit No. 2 in the space behind iTunes…
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117961940.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

The above article says that '1 million people called about the iphone'. Is that accurate? The original article says that 1 million people *requested to be contacted when the phone was available*. I heard from one source that this counted online inquiries only. I haven't verified this, but the source of the number may be important.

I addressed Bernstein Research's analysis here:

The crux of my argument:

iTunes only began selling songs in 2003, almost 18 months after the iPod made its debut. iPod owners have bought an average of 20 songs per iPod the past five years. The iPod became popular independent of iTunes music sales.

Apple TV is following same path. Early adopters will use it, hack it, and rework it, similar to the way the first gen iPod was hacked to run Linux and other oddities.

People keep forgetting that Apple is a hardware company. Any content or software that they sell is just an added incentive for users to keep buying hardware.

My site: http://innerdaemon.wordpress.com/2007/03/28/apple-tv-and-itms-movies/

On the subject of hacking the AppleTV David Shamah of the Jerusalem Post wrote "because these [hacks] could potentially interfere with the income stream the company no doubt saw itself grabbing."

These people are so used to the Microsoft-style software-company dominated world of giving the razor away and selling the blades that they are blind the the fact that Apple makes it's money on the hardware. The largest margins in the business, in fact. Hacking the box and pirating content only INCREASES the value of the AppleTV, just like the iPod and Mac before it.

We've been talking about the iPhone over at Highbrid Nation and I'm not sure how I feel yet. One thing is for sure, I'm not feeling the exclusive deal with AT&T. Sorry, the iPhone is not enough for me to switch carriers. I really do want one though :)

(I agree with the target at up 115, thats why im long and overweighted)
but... take the bet!


buy aapl stock worth $25000, if it goes up you have to pay exactly what you earn from the stock, if goes otherwise he'll cover your loss! :)

Apple will have no problem when The Studios see the sales Disney et al have on iTunes and compare that with their own sales on Xbox Marketplace and Amazon's digital download service.
They are turning down a lot of revenue by holding up their iTunes expansion. There are 118 million registered iTunes users and only 5 million registered Xbox 360 users. Who can continue to ignore that market?

Actually, Apple TV has gotten good reviews and reviewers have found it better than products by Microsoft and X Box. The NYT reviewer said he thinks Apple has bigger plans for the product. The need for more content is a weakness at present for a product that has many strengths. Those interested can find synopses of both the USA Today review of Apple TV and the New York Times review at the (green label) Apple Channel at http://www.Barrelomoney.com

So what if only one million have called ahead. Ya think everyone calls ahead? They know it's coming and are waiting.
I agree Apple appears to have missed the boat with Hollywood. But the game's not over. I'd like to know how successful the competitors really are. Are their systems clunkers?

Umm there is plenty of software out there that will allow me to use my own DVD content though Apple TV.

Theres a big monster of a company just rising above the dross and rabble:
And is called APPLE.
Microsoft shot itself in the foot, stuck a knife in its heart and drank rat poison.
Why?
They are betting the whole card game on DRM (WM9)
And DRM just died-
with EMI's announcement of DRM-less music downloads,
Soon, all the other majors will follow.
As well as the major movie studios.
Apple will make a pretty penny (millions of them)
and MS will be scratching their heads, while kids complain they cannot 'squirt' the latest LCD Soundsystem (EMI) song after the 3rd day-if they can load it into their 'Zunes' at full bit rate at all.
I am a student at a local Community College-perfect market for the Zune.
Yet virtually all I ever see in classes and hallways are iPods, with the odd
'also ran' players here and there.
I think you will see this spilling over to the Apple TV-market analysts are already starting to take note that Apple is leaving the others behind in the dust..
Watch and see.
Gentlemen, life is an adventure.

I have to agree with Douglas that without content the Apple TV has a hard time. The good news is that the Apple TV has a much simpler management mechanism (iTunes) than other devices like the XBox 360 and a simpler integration with the TV.

If other content producers, not only those distributed by the iTunes Store, tap into the simplicity of the iTunes-Apple TV/iPod ecosystem, then there is a potential for the device to sell.

At this point, I guess Apple is not offering any HD content due to distribution agreements being slow with the big studios, and the fact that a feature movie would be a huge download. Having said that, there are other types of more utilitarian content that may be of interest to niche markets. At Rouxbe we now offer video recipes for download for iPod and in HD for Apple TV. We believe that the foodie techie will find this type of content valuable, specially if they already invested in the actual Apple TV hardware. My point is that if there is more content out there, that is not only TV shows or movies, but with a more "useful" purpose, the Apple TV becomes a viable deployment mechanism, increasing the chance that the Apple TV succeeds. Here are some thoughts regarding the importance of paid downloads for at least the Rouxbe users: http://blog.rouxbe.com/rouxbe-is-outside-of-the-box-the-computer-box-that-is/