Could YouTube Be the Killer-App for Apple's iTV?

Posted by Zonk on Friday December 29, 2006 @10:33PM from the the-dnd-psas-in-the-living-room dept.

mrspin writes "With Macworld Expo just over a week away, many expect Apple CEO Steve Jobs to announce further details (and the availability) of the company's yet to be released set-top-box, codenamed iTV. Powered by something similar to Apple's Front Row media center software, the iTV is designed to get the media content that's housed on a Mac (music, movies, and photos), streamed to the living room television. However, with its built-in wireless networking (suspected to be the faster 802.11n), why not bypass the Mac and have the iTV connect directly to the Internet? The combination of iTunes and DRM-free MP3s provided the 'killer app' for the iPod. YouTube could well do the same for Apple's soon-to-be released set-top box."

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it's not about "innovation" by oohshiny · 2006-12-30 02:08 · Score: 0, Flamebait

Why the excitement? Ignoring all HTPC's completely (which can do the above and more)

I dispute that the HTPC "can" do anything; my experience with it is that it works for a few months and then things gradually stop working. I eventually erased mine completely and it's running Linux now. My home is Windows-free now, except for the rare occasion when I boot into Windows for playing some particular game.

the Xbox 360 can do the above with a Windows box with ease (especially with Vista).

Xbox 360 is itself a rip-off of other boxes and functionality. And if it only works with Windows, I'm not interested.

In any case, the point of such a product is not innovation, it's price, design, form factor, reliability, and functionality. Personally, I'd rather have an Apple iTV sitting on my TV than any box by Microsoft.