Apple executives have frequently called the Apple TV a “hobby”—as much an acknowledgment of customers’ lackluster reaction to the set-top box as it is the amount of attention the company has devoted to the oft-overlooked product. But after Wednesday’s music-centric press event, Apple has begun to show signs of taking this particular hobby a little more seriously.
The AppleTV unveiled by Steve Jobs to cap off Wednesday’s event is a much different beast than the one stagnating in Apple’s product line the past four years. This smaller device fits in the palm of your hand, strips down the number of ports, and puts the emphasis on streaming content—not storing and syncing it.
Has Apple finally hit upon the magic formula for a living room companion? We won’t know for certain until the product actually ships. But we can answer a few common questions about the latest edition of the Apple TV. And if we don’t cover your question here, feel free to ask away in our Macworld.com forums.
When will the new Apple TV be available, and how much will it cost?
Steve Jobs said it would ship in “four weeks,” which puts the release tentatively at the end of September. The online Apple Store says the device begins shipping in September. Since thirty days hath September, check back when most of them are done. The price will be $99.
What’s hardware is inside the Apple TV?
Apple’s Apple TV specs page says the new model uses an A4 chip, just like the iPad. This should mean considerably better performance than we saw with the previous model, which ran on an Intel Pentium M processor.
So is the new Apple TV running OS X or iOS? Can I run apps on it?
Apple won’t say what operating system the Apple TV is running. Since it’s running on the same A4 processor as iOS devices, it’s probably running iOS—but its interface is nothing like other iOS devices, so it may be a distinction without a difference. You can’t run apps on it, in any event, though that’s always a possibility in the future. An Apple TV App Store could be cool… but it’s not a reality yet.
What are the terms of video rentals for the Apple TV? Do you still get only 24 hours to watch a rented video?
You have 30 days to start watching a movie or TV episode. Once you begin watching a rented movie on the Apple TV, you have 24 hours to finish. However, the “watching” period for a TV show is 48 hours.
How much does it cost to rent TV shows and movies?
It varies. For standard-definition movies, it’s $3 for a library (older) title and $4 for a new title; for high-definition titles, it’s $4 for a library title and $5 for new releases. TV shows, however, are $1 for rental, regardless of resolution.
Will I be able to watch the latest shows (say, the one I missed last night), or will these be older episodes?
Both. Apple claims that the iTunes Store has the largest library of new and old content. TV shows typically appear in the store within 24 hours of airing on TV—sometimes sooner.
Can you still buy TV shows?