When Apple introduced a new Mac mini my first thought was that now I don’t need an Apple TV anymore. Clearly inspired by the design of Apple’s iPad, the new Mac mini offers faster processor, much improved graphics, HDMI port and more in a smaller enclosure. Since the Mac mini is a fully functional computer and the Apple TV is, well, not, why would you even consider an Apple TV?
Apple TV was launched in early 2007 and many of us had high hopes for what Apple would do with the new platform. Reality has turned out very differently though as frankly it’s not changed a whole lot since 2007. Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO has referred to Apple TV as a “hobby” and even though they’ve updated the software and increased the hard drive space, it’s essentially the same box as three years ago, and that’s a shame.
Apple TV is basically a streamlined Mac on which you can only run something looking like Front Row on Macs, a simple graphical user interface controlled by a wireless remote control. It comes in only one model with 160GB hard disk and connects to your HD TV via HDMI and to Wi-Fi for Internet access.
You can buy and rent movies directly from your Apple TV using only the remote control. Unfortunately there are no movies, TV and music in the UAE iTunes store so you need an account in a supported country, such as US or UK. But you can also get media on to an Apple TV using iTunes on a Mac or Windows PC. You can synchronize from one iTunes library or stream from up to five. This means Apple TV connected to your large screen TV is a great way to enjoy the photos and video you’ll no doubt take this summer.
To be honest, by adding an HDMI port to the new Mac mini, Apple made choosing between Apple TV and Mac mini even harder than it already was a few weeks ago. Now the Mac mini connects just as easily to your large screen HD TV and it also supports the faster 802.11n wireless networking that the Apple TV has had for a while.
But let’s stop going through all the details and instead just say it comes down to convenience versus flexibility. An Apple TV is very easy to set up and use and the simplicity in the interface means you can’t really do anything wrong. At the same time that means you won’t get to do all the things you do with the Mac mini, which is a computer. Yes, running Front Row or other media center interface, like Plex, Boxee or XBMC on the Mac mini will give you some of the same simplicity but it still doesn’t rival Apple TV in that respect.
Unfortunately, as attractive as the Apple TV is in many respects, unless Apple will drastically revamp it and do it soon, I don’t see the hobby continue for much longer. The launch of the new Mac mini has certainly made the Apple TV less attractive for many potential customers.
This column was originally published in Khaleej Times.
