What is Apple TV?

ByEmily Dolloff

Apple TV is by no means a new product for Apple. This little device has been around for a number of years and is quite possibly the most misunderstood Apple device.

Apple TV is designed to be a central media hub for your home. It’s a tiny little box that connects to any HDMI-enabled TV and wirelessly streams all kinds of media to your television from a number of sources. You can wirelessly access multiple computers in your home to stream movies, photos, and music in your iPhoto and iTunes libraries. With Apple TV you can also access a variety of Web-based content, including photos in Flickr accounts or MobileMe albums, video on YouTube, and movies and TV shows from Netflix Watch Instantly or the iTunes store. Apple released an update a few weeks ago for Apple TV that now allows you to follow your favorite MLB and NBA teams. For small subscription fees you can follow multiple games and teams at once, a fantastic feature if you’re unlucky like myself and can’t follow your favorite teams through the local cable provider. Visit NBA and MLB for more information on this new feature to Apple TV. From one location you have the ability to source endless amounts of media instantly.

What Apple TV doesn’t do is replace a television or replace your regular cable or satellite provider. You cannot watch live television (unless you have the MLB or NBA packages) or TV shows at the time they air on broadcast TV. However, you can rent many TV series and movies through the iTunes store from your living room, instead of rushing out to rent new releases. Apple TV is a cool addition to the digital lifestyle, and once you bring one home, you will likely wonder how you ever lived without it!

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