I was loathe to get a media center PC because:
- it would be a living room eyesore,
- it would use a keyboard and a mouse instead of a remote,
- it would cost as much as a regular computer,
- and TV episode rentals would cost too much.
I think Apple has finally solved these problems with their newest Apple TV:
- It’s tiny and black and can pull any media wirelessly from my desktop,
- I can use my iPhone to control it,
- it’s $100,
- and TV episode rentals are $1.
In addition, I can live switch between viewing media on my iPhone or iPad and my TV and surround sound.
While working with my iPhone and iPad is cool, I think the real innovation is getting TV show rentals down to $1 like they did for music. I’ve never wanted to own TV shows I bought online. I think this will actually incentivize me to spend more on videos. I don’t have cable because I don’t want to pay for things I don’t use. Apple TV is another step in the direction of paying for TV shows à la carte, and goes even further by breaking it down by episode.
Apple appears to consistently deliver products that solve my problems. Bravo, Apple! Here, take my money.