Greg's bite: my thoughts on the Apple TV
TweetFollow Us on Twitter

Greg's bite: my thoughts on the Apple TV

By Greg Mills

In preparing this article, I have come to view Apple TV/Netflix as not a replacement for Dish but as a cheap "pay for view" movie channel option to replace a satellite channel I am currently subscribed to.

I am going to drop one movie channel (US$12 a month) to pay for a subscription to NetFlix ($8.99 + $2.00 for HD). That revelation allowed me to make a personal decision to go ahead and buy the Apple TV device and subscribe to NetFlix. Here is my take on this.

As was anticipate by many in the Apple fan base, Steve Jobs recently announced a new and improved version of Apple TV last week. The new device is much smaller and more powerful than the previous version, but still does not support full 1080HD. It steams up to 720p video from either Wi-Fi or ethernet, so connecting it to the web is easy.  

You can stream content from a computer through Wi-Fi to the AppleTV box or directly connect the Apple TV box to the web, through Ethernet.  You can get content from Apple, NetFlix or other internet sources like YouTube, which plays the content on your HDTV though a HDMI connection on the back of the Apple TV box.  So far, so good.

What I don't like about the current version of Apple TV is most of what I didn't like from earlier versions of the same device. It does not support full 1080HD and isn't a replacement for my Dish DVR. In my mind Apple TV ought to be a DVR -- and it just isn't.

At the end of the day, consumers will find the best deal and the numbers don't add up for me to drop Dish entirely and go to Apple TV as a full replacement for Dish, no matter how big a fan I am of Apple. The notion of having to pay 99 cents for free TV episodes is nuts. I can use my Dish DVR (which, by the way is awesome) to save TV shows for later viewing at no additional cost. Apple is not competing with that content value model compared to cable or satellite TV.  The notion that people aren't going to freely spend 99 cents a pop to view free content, which is easily available from other sources, at a low monthly flat rate, is a concept billionaires can't quite relate to. 

I pay Dish around $65 per month to watch any of 200 channels anytime I want for as long as I want, without an extra charge, unless I download a recent pay for view move. For that money I also get HBO and the Stars movie channels. If we figure only four weeks per month for easy math, that would get me a $16.25 a week budget if we cut Dish loose and went with Apple TV.  At $3.99 to rent a movie which I can only see during the 24 hours I begin to watch it, that gives me four movies a week with 25 cents left of my budget. At 99 cents per TV show we could watch two one-hour programs per night, if they are carried by iTunes -- and all of the networks aren't yet on board. However, I figure they will be Jobbed into going along with Apple sometime soon. 

TV shows will not all be on NetFlix until DVDs of those TV shows are available. This is normally done after the end of a season. Consider that NetFlix is sort of like an electronic BlockBuster where you can get content only if it is already out a DVD. There is a reason BlockBuster is going broke: their business model of consumers going out and renting and then returning a DVD disk or VHS tape is being replaced by downloading content over broadband.  BlockBuster was way too slow to change and unable to make the nimble transformation reflect the newer business model. You can't get out of a five-year lease on a storefront converted into a BlockBuster outlet just because your business model has gone out of style. Try telling a landlord that to get out of your lease.

I decided to buy an Apple TV device and get over the Netflix pop-under anger I harbor due to their sneaky web advertising that defeats my Safari pop-up blocker and subscribe to Netflix.  I don't think Netflix or even Apple's new server farm will replace the basic cable/satellite TV offerings that are absolutely unlimited and provide so many TV channels. But, they will offer me a good price on a pay for view option.  

What I finally figured out, after talking with both Dish and Netflix, is that one might consider Netflix downloaded over Apple TV as a better movie channel, where everything you download is like pay for view but "all you can eat" at a low fixed monthly price. I invested in an AppleTV device and will drop Starz to pay for my monthly NetFlix subscription and see how it plays out.  I will admit sometimes there is nothing good we have not already seen on the cable movie channels, so we can augment that with the new AppleTV/NetFlix channel.

Ok Steve, you win. What else do you have up your sleeve? I will bet my new Apple TV Apple buys or puts NetFlix out of business by this date next year. Any takers? The NetFlix market cap is about six billion dollars so Apple could snap them up and, in one stroke, make the new server farm profitable. On the other hand, Apple might just out flex NetFlix and run them out of business.

(Greg Mills, is a Faux Artist in Kansas City. Formerly a new product R&D man for the paint sundry market, he holds 11 US patents. He's working on a solar energy startup, www.CottageIndustrySolar.com using a patent pending process of turning waste dual pane glass into thermal solar panels used to heat water. Greg writes for intellectual web sites and Mac related issues. See Greg's art web site at www.gregmills.info ; His email is gregmills@mac.com )

 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

Six fantastic ways to spend National Vid...
As if anyone needed an excuse to play games today, I am about to give you one: it is National Video Games Day. A day for us to play games, like we no doubt do every day. Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, feast your eyes on this... | Read more »
Old School RuneScape players turn out in...
The sheer leap in technological advancements in our lifetime has been mind-blowing. We went from Commodore 64s to VR glasses in what feels like a heartbeat, but more importantly, the internet. It can be a dark mess, but it also brought hundreds of... | Read more »
Today's Best Mobile Game Discounts...
Every day, we pick out a curated list of the best mobile discounts on the App Store and post them here. This list won't be comprehensive, but it every game on it is recommended. Feel free to check out the coverage we did on them in the links below... | Read more »
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's...
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Nintendo has been locked in an epic battle with Pocketpair, creator of the obvious Pokémon rip-off Palworld. Nintendo often resorts to legal retaliation at the drop of a hat, but it seems this... | Read more »
Apple exclusive mobile games don’t make...
If you are a gamer on phones, no doubt you have been as distressed as I am on one huge sticking point: exclusivity. For years, Xbox and PlayStation have done battle, and before this was the Sega Genesis and the Nintendo NES. On console, it makes... | Read more »
Regionally exclusive events make no sens...
Last week, over on our sister site AppSpy, I babbled excitedly about the Pokémon GO Safari Days event. You can get nine Eevees with an explorer hat per day. Or, can you? Specifically, you, reader. Do you have the time or funds to possibly fly for... | Read more »
As Jon Bellamy defends his choice to can...
Back in March, Jagex announced the appointment of a new CEO, Jon Bellamy. Mr Bellamy then decided to almost immediately paint a huge target on his back by cancelling the Runescapes Pride event. This led to widespread condemnation about his perceived... | Read more »
Marvel Contest of Champions adds two mor...
When I saw the latest two Marvel Contest of Champions characters, I scoffed. Mr Knight and Silver Samurai, thought I, they are running out of good choices. Then I realised no, I was being far too cynical. This is one of the things that games do best... | Read more »
Grass is green, and water is wet: Pokémo...
It must be a day that ends in Y, because Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has kicked off its Zoroark Drop Event. Here you can get a promo version of another card, and look forward to the next Wonder Pick Event and the next Mass Outbreak that will be... | Read more »
Enter the Gungeon review
It took me a minute to get around to reviewing this game for a couple of very good reasons. The first is that Enter the Gungeon's style of roguelike bullet-hell action is teetering on the edge of being straight-up malicious, which made getting... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Take $150 off every Apple 11-inch M3 iPad Air
Amazon is offering a $150 discount on 11-inch M3 WiFi iPad Airs right now. Shipping is free: – 11″ 128GB M3 WiFi iPad Air: $449, $150 off – 11″ 256GB M3 WiFi iPad Air: $549, $150 off – 11″ 512GB M3... Read more
Apple iPad minis back on sale for $100 off MS...
Amazon is offering $100 discounts (up to 20% off) on Apple’s newest 2024 WiFi iPad minis, each with free shipping. These are the lowest prices available for new minis among the Apple retailers we... Read more
Apple’s 16-inch M4 Max MacBook Pros are on sa...
Amazon has 16-inch M4 Max MacBook Pros (Silver and Black colors) on sale for up to $410 off Apple’s MSRP right now. Shipping is free. Be sure to select Amazon as the seller, rather than a third-party... Read more
Red Pocket Mobile is offering a $150 rebate o...
Red Pocket Mobile has new Apple iPhone 17’s on sale for $150 off MSRP when you switch and open up a new line of service. Red Pocket Mobile is a nationwide MVNO using all the major wireless carrier... Read more
Switch to Verizon, and get any iPhone 16 for...
With yesterday’s introduction of the new iPhone 17 models, Verizon responded by running “on us” promos across much of the iPhone 16 lineup: iPhone 16 and 16 Plus show as $0/mo for 36 months with bill... Read more
Here is a summary of the new features in Appl...
Apple’s September 2025 event introduced major updates across its most popular product lines, focusing on health, performance, and design breakthroughs. The AirPods Pro 3 now feature best-in-class... Read more
Apple’s Smartphone Lineup Could Use A Touch o...
COMMENTARY – Whatever happened to the old adage, “less is more”? Apple’s smartphone lineup. — which is due for its annual refresh either this month or next (possibly at an Apple Event on September 9... Read more
Take $50 off every 11th-generation A16 WiFi i...
Amazon has Apple’s 11th-generation A16 WiFi iPads in stock on sale for $50 off MSRP right now. Shipping is free: – 11″ 11th-generation 128GB WiFi iPads: $299 $50 off MSRP – 11″ 11th-generation 256GB... Read more
Sunday Sale: 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros for up t...
Don’t pay full price! Amazon has Apple’s 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros (Silver and Black colors) on sale for up to $220 off MSRP right now. Shipping is free. Be sure to select Amazon as the seller, rather... Read more
Mac mini with M4 Pro CPU back on sale for $12...
B&H Photo has Apple’s Mac mini with the M4 Pro CPU back on sale for $1259, $140 off MSRP. B&H offers free 1-2 day shipping to most US addresses: – Mac mini M4 Pro CPU (24GB/512GB): $1259, $... Read more

Jobs Board

All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.