The simplicity of the Apple TV is, for some, both its biggest asset, and its worst feature. It’s extremely easy to set up, and it’s very difficult to customize. So it comes as no great surprise that Intel’s CEO, Paul Otellini, had this to say, according to Electronista, “Jobs took a “step backward” by making the device less of a computer-like device. Google TV would be better since it was the “full Internet” melded with traditional TV.” While Jobs pre-emptively addressed those claims weeks ago during his keynote, we’re not exactly of the same opinion as Jobs. iOS support is something we were seriously hoping for, but saying that the device is for ‘Mom’ is a little much.
Designing products for the general population is where Apple reigns supreme. Making iOS, OS X, and now the Apple TV simple enough that anyone can use it is the reason why Apple’s been outpacing the rest of the industry in sales for a number of years now. There’s nothing wrong with designing tools for “Mom.” After all, if Mom can use an Apple TV, anyone can use one, making it a lot easier for me to recommend it to people, and a lot less likely that I’ll have to provide hours and hours of support for the device.
Is the Apple TV everything I want in a media centre peripheral, as a geek? Not really. I currently have Plex/Nine running on a Mac Mini, but up until this latest iteration of Plex, I would have had a hard time recommending it to Mom-type users. But now even Plex seems to be taking the Mom approach, making their software painfully easy to set up.
It’s also important to note that Intel’s Pentium M chip has been abandoned by Apple in the new Apple TV, as well as iOS devices—both of which now rely on the Arm-based processors. So, there might also be some other things at play here in Otellini’s comments, but we’ll leave that up to you to decide.
Article Via Electronista
