Apple TV

Apple TV- What It Means For Australian Consumers

By Stephen Heller

The Apple TV has been a love meets hate affair since the initial release in 2007; users complained that it lacked format support, external storage solutions, or access to popular services such as Netflix. Last night at the Apple conference that was set to change, yet how many of the new features will actually be available for the Australian consumer?

Let’s take a look at the features of the new and improved Apple TV. The device is a whopping 80 percent smaller than the last generation and still manages to keep the internal power supply, which is impressive to say the least. Apple claims that in standby mode the ATV uses less power than a night-light, and it manages to keep cool without a fan providing whisper quiet operation. The hard drive has been omitted from the new design; Apple has decided to go with streaming rather than local storage for your movies, TV shows, photos and music. Rentals are delivered straight over the internet while your music and photos stream wirelessly from your computer. The device features the A4 chip which is in the iPhone 4 and the iPad which means the device has plenty of grunt. Two cable setup for the device means it is easy for anyone to install the system, simply plug in the power cable and a HDMI cable and you are set. Apple has announced the implementation of TV Show rentals for a cheap 99c per episode in HD to compliment their already thriving Movie rental service. The other big announcement is the inclusion of Netflix on the Apple TV which opens up endless opportunities for movies and TV shows.

So we have a speedy processor, omission of a local hard drive in favour of streaming content and the introduction of TV Show rentals and Netflix access. Sounding pretty good for a device that costs a low price of $129 AUD. The problem for Australian consumers is a lot of these new features won’t be available here for an eternity, if at all.

Apple has used the same approach with every aspect of media they have introduced into the iTunes store; focus on the U.S. first and then update world markets once that content is stable. Unfortunately for Australian consumers later is often much later. The iTunes store arrived in Australia two years after the U.S. debut, and iBooks still doesn’t have a release date here yet. The same will apply to TV Show rentals; while we have access to purchase episodes of shows here in Australia, there will be considerable red tape Apple needs to go through in order to legalise rentals here in Australia. Chances are this new feature that Apple is touting as one of the selling points of the Apple TV device won’t be available here for the next twelve months, if not longer. It still remains to be seen if we will be granted Netflix access on the device. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was the first device to allow Australian’s streaming access to the Netflix library of content yet we still can’t sign up to the service on our PC’s.

The other consideration Aussie consumers need to acknowledge is the fact that constant streaming of content is going to chew through your data allowance. Unless you are an iiNet subscriber on their terabyte plan chances are if you are planning on using the Apple TV device regularly you might need to upgrade your current data allowance.

The new features are exciting for American customers, but with all things considered just how excited are you for the new Apple TV?