About this news article

So far, most of Apple's recently introduced audio and visual gadgets have taken the market by storm, including each new iPod series to even its iPod phone.  However, when it came to the Apple TV, this there are reports indicating that may be the odd one out to grab much attention despite all the hype and hailing Apple had over it, going by this DailyTech report. 

At a first glance, this seems good on paper, with many people having a combination music, movies, TV shows and photos on their PC, since this allows one to play their content directly on their TV.  Unlike most network media players that just stream content from a PC, this device has its own HDD and syncs up with one's iTunes collection so when it comes to playing content, it is played directly from its HDD, thus avoiding potential network issues such as Wi-Fi drop-outs or contention.  However, so far there is little sign of the device having any success and Apple has so far refused to release sales figures and Steve Jobs is even now saying it is just a “hobby”.

Going by the various sources mentioned in the DailyTech report, there are a couple of possible reasons why it is not standing out.  One is that most people use their PC for music and photos, but not many have a significant amount of video to make getting such a device worthwhile.  Another important factor is its proprietary system which is only compatible with free YouTube videos and paid iTunes content, leaving out pretty much all the other pay-TV and online movie services.  It's a bit like how the iPod can only supports the iTunes DRM system.  Finally, Apple offers no rental or subscription based system, which means that anyone interested in watching content from the iTunes store must purchase each item they intend watching.

Further info can be read in this DailyTech article.