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November 12, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team
Maybe Apple is reacting to yesterday’s launch of Hulu Plus, or maybe the Boxee Box is actually giving them a run for their money, or maybe even still, rumors of Netflix moving to a 100% streaming model may have them shaking in their pants. Whatever the reasons may be, Apple just announced a huge price cut on Apple TV, bringing their 160GB box down from $229 to $149 just in time for the holidays.
So why the big shift? Well, let’s read the fine print first. The Apple TV that received the price slash is none other than the first generation. This means that the newest version of the Apple TV is still priced accordingly at $99, but this smaller, sleeker version is streaming only. The Gen1 Apple TV, on the other hand, allows you to actually buy movies and TV shows, which can be stored within the 160GB hard drive space included. From there you can simply sync your Apple TV to your Mac, and all of the stored shows will move over to your computer hard drive for viewing anywhere.
While this seems appealing, many wonder if Apple TV will make it in a world with Hulu Plus, Netflix streaming, and the Boxee Box. This is because the Apple TV doesn’t include a monthly subscription service just yet. Instead, anyone using it will get the experience of going to a video store, with high rental fees included (but limited new releases, as AppleTV is often late to the game in this arena). Apple TV users can rent HD movies starting at $3.99 and TV shows at 99 cents each. Once you hit play, a countdown clock begins giving you 24 hours to the minute, to watch your rental. While you can stream Netflix with the new AppleTV, this can’t be done with the newly priced Gen1 model. And with Netflix streaming available on every common video game console, what’s the point of buying an Apple TV just for that anyway?
Apple is known for innovation and their ability to make everything easier, but critics feel they missed the mark with the Apple TV. So, while the price is now reduced, many feel that a combination of Hulu Plus and Netflix are just fine, and purchasing a $149 Apple TV is akin to owning a really expensive paperweight.
Amy is the co-founder of ZippyCart. She went to school for film in Cleveland, Ohio and ended up working in the field of viral video marketing, which eventually led her to her real profession: SEO. When she's not writing for ZippyCart, she can be found out and about Seattle, WA.
If the Boxee Box were airplay enabled, this article might have been relevant.
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Uh Apple TV has been $99 for quite a while now. Is this an article from last year?
Also, the 24 hour clock does not start until you launch the video. You have something like 30 days to watch a movie.
Where is your information coming from? Eaves dropping at a bar?
Oh and the Apple TV picture you have is the previous model.
It seems like you have no idea what you are talking about.
I forgot to mention that the Apple TV currently has no hard drive and does not sync with any PC’s on your network.
Apple TV also strams Netflix…
This article is very strange. It is as if all your apple information is several months old while you are posting new Boxee information.
Do you get paid to do this?
Hey Vic,
Please read the article again. It clearly states that the recent price drop is on the GEN1 Apple TV not the newest Apple TV that just came out this year. Hence the picture of the old Apple TV rather than the smaller, black, new one. The price drop was announced on Friday for the Gen1 Apple TV, thus it was very recent news as the article was published just an hour after the announcement of the price drop. The specs are about the old Apple TV because that is what the article and the latest news was about. As an Apple TV owner myself, I am pulling much information from my personal experience with the product. Also, again, if you read the article, it states that the 24 hour clock starts when you hit play, hitting play is the same as launching the video, it’s simply semantics.
Thanks for your comments and I hope that this has further clarified.
Amy
PS We don’t get paid for the news we write, we simply write what is news worthy. Also, why would Apple pay us for an article that discourages people from buying the Apple TV???
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