DISQUS

I honestly think the one to watch is the ability to use the iPhone/iPod touch as an interface for various electronic devices. Medical instruments like the glucose meter. Recreational devices like telescopes, range finders, GPS, survey tools, fish finders, the next big thing. Industrial tools like tool and dye lathes.

If there is an electronic device, there can be an iPhone App to control it via Bluetooth, WiFi or Cell phone call. Actually, the iPhone or iPod touch can be the only interface needed for an electronic device.

I bought a Dell once and it was Dead On Arrival. I sent it back and 3 days later I got a new replacement with a smaller HD and a cheaper battery. I sent it back and 3 days later I got another new Dell with the right configuration back.

Don't get me started on the Windows Me OS that was on that Dell. At least you know your MBA will work once it is repaired.

I would love a MBA but I would not use one as my primary computer. You need something like an iMac desktop, at least, to borrow it's optical drive and it's HD storage capabilities. Unless, of course, you bought the external optical drive. But that, I would think, defeats the purpose of the sleek, light MBA, doesn't it?

I rip my DVDs using the h264 codec. It gives me just under a 1.5 GB file for the average movie. At 10' you cannot tell a ripped DVD via Apple TV from an up-scaled DVD from the latest DVD player on my HDTV.

A derivative of the h264 codec is used to make Blu-ray discs. Don't underestimate this codec. You will be impressed when you see Apple's download quality.

We all know you can't hear all of the audio on a CD. 95% of all humans can't tell an AAC ripped at 160 kbps from the original.

Same goes for video. We don't see every blue patch of sky, our brains just register blue sky and silver airplane. In a static shot we just need one frame of the background, and so on. If the codec is good the bit rate can be lower and the h264 codec and it's derivatives are very good.

Bob, the Apple TV is sold world wide.

The movie rental service is only available in the United States.

No joining at the hip at all Bob. The Apple TV is the iPod for your HDTV. It connects the audio and video content on your computers and on the Internet to your HDTV. It does it very well. You wouldn't say the iPod and the iTunes Store are joined at the hip since it is common knowledge that only about 3% of iPod content is purchased from iTunes Store. Most of the content streamed through Apple TV does not come from Apple either.

The movie rental service, as it now stands, sucks. It does, however, work with a Windows PC, a Mac, and the iPhone as well as Apple TV. If you don't need Apple TV to use the service, Bob, it is not joined at the hip to Apple TV.

My Apple TV serves over 1 TB of media to my HDTV flawlessly.

That's really something Bob. If you ever saw the ease at which you can browse 100's of movies or dozens of play-lists and stream any digital file to your HDTV instantly, you'd be blown away.

Oh, Bob, if it's any consolation, I agree with most of your criticisms of the rental service. It has been emasculated by The Studios to protect their DVD business.

Apple TV has been available for almost a year. It serves about 500 movies TV shows from my desktop Mac to my HDTV flawlessly. It also plays slide shows of my photo library, YouTube videos, video podcasts, movie previews, and my entire music collection over the HDTV auxiliary sound system.

Apple TV is ready for prime time.

Your 10 reasons have very little to do with Apple TV but a lot to do with the movie rental service that can be used on a Mac, a Windows PC and/or Apple TV.

You don't like Apple's movie rental service. We get that.

You may not like Macs either. Who knows? One thing we do know. You just gave us 10 reasons not to get an Apple TV and it's obvious that you have never used one and have no idea what they are used for. Chances are you have never even seen one in action.

Give us a break Bob. Change the title to 'Top 10 reasons to avoid Apple's movie rental service'.

At my company, what I say goes. While it does help that I am the Chief Scientific Officer, it doesn't hurt that I am also the only employee. Fewer arguments that way. However, board meetings are pretty boring.

The next thing Apple will kill off is the personal computer. Sure, computers will still be needed for industry but the 90% of consumers who only use a computer for playing media, surfing and communicating will just be using an iPhone or iPhone clone instead.

Wouldn't it be nice if Windows was locked down?

Can you imagine life without malware?

Think I will switch.