E3 Megaton

One of the many things Microsoft announced today at E3 was a partnership to bring the entire Netflix catalog to the Xbox360. We thinks this is huge. As cool as Apple TV is, it's adoption has been rather slow. The reason for this is partially due to the fact that Apple TV doesn't do a whole lot other than stream media from iTunes, yet costs almost as much as a 360. Maybe it's time Apple rethought their strategy with Apple TV. If the money is in selling the content, how about partnering with Sony and building an iTunes Store on the PS3? Because the space under our HDTV is limited and we don't see much need for an Apple device right now.

June Apple Fantasy Merger: Nintendo

(Each month we weigh the pros and cons of a particular potential merger for Apple. Please note the "fantasy" part of this speculation: Many times the mergers mentioned couldn't or wouldn't be realistically possible. But put all that aside and enjoy this month's edition of Fantasy Merger.)

Apple has been on a tear conquering the worlds of portable music, cell phones, and computers. There are two areas though, where Apple continues to meet resistance: The settop box (Apple TV) and gaming. This month's fantasy merger would solve both of these problems overnight: Merge/Buy Nintendo.

The Wii has been a success in large part due to the (here it comes) "think different" approach they've taken to game control. From the outside, it seems like there would be several workplace culture similarities between the two companies, more than say Apple and Sony.

Apple would immediately have a gaming hit on its hands, and a device in millions of homes (millions more than Apple TV) in which to stream TV, movies, and music.

Will it happen? As if with all these fantasy mergers, probably not. But not letting little things like company valuations, international ownership issues, and ego clashes get in the way, it looks like a great match.

Run! It's another box to attach to the TV!

Today Netflix announced along with Roku a new streaming video box. The new product is $100 and allows Netflix subscribers with a $9/mo plan or higher, to watch streaming films instantaneously on their TV.

Advantages:
Instant start.
Cheaper than Apple TV
More titles

Dis-advantages:
Not HD (not yet, at least)
Requires Netflix subscription
Collection might be more quantity than quality

I say enough already. We may soon long for the days of one standard format: the DVD. While competition is generally a good thing, the streaming video / digital video marketplace is far too young for the types of battles that are taking place. Apple TV offers a smaller catalog than the new device, but focuses on newer releases. Roku doesn't do HD streaming. None of the movies are cross compatible from these two services, or other video boxes. Look at how the digital music scene exploded after the adoption of mp3 (and the associated piracy.) There are far too many restrictions, and far too few differences between the different set-top boxes to choose a clear winner. No solution is perfect, and unless the studios and tech companies can come up with a agreed-upon rental/purchase format, or at the very least, give all set-top box manufacturers the same rights, with blanket coverage of studio libraries for rental/viewing. Until then, this will continue to be one lucrative market with profit potential than return.

Apple TV: YouTube not ready for the big screen

I have to admit, this past weekend was my first hands on experience with Apple TV outside of it's debut at Macworld. I was impressed with it's photo 'screen saver' mode when idle, it really set my brother's living room off nicely.

As I was exploring the Apple TV I went to it's native integration with YouTube to see how it handled streaming content from WiFi. I decided it was appropriate to test the Apple product with a favorite video of mine: Mac Vs. PC Rap, from Pantless Knights Productions. I was impressed with the streaming, but not so much with the video quality.

My brother has about a 40" TV. It isn't the largest you can get, but by no means is it small. YouTube looks decent on the computer, but it does not make the transition to the big screen very well. All I can say is pixelated. It serves its purpose, but don't expect a crystal clear viewing experience.

Apple Falling Behind The Technology Curve?

Today DELL made good on their promise to be first to market with a sub-$1k notebook with an included Blu-Ray drive.

After doing some comparison shopping on both DELL and Apple's site, you can see that for a paltry $79 more than the low end Macbook you can land yourself an Inspiron 1525 which will burn both CD/DVD and BURN Blu-Ray. Why is a company that has pioneered DVD creation and movie making for the past 5 years still shipping their low-end notebook with a combo drive as the standard configuration? It is 2008 right? I haven't slipped into a worm hole and landed myself in the year 2001 have I?

Even at the risk of hurting movie download sales, Apple needs to start including Blu-Ray now. By the end of the year there will be over 13 million PS3 sold, and countless more stand alone players. The format is here to stay and eventually Blu-Ray will become a bullet point when a customer is deciding between an Apple computer and a competitors.