Apple TV Gets New Software And Lowers Its Price

While Apple TV wasn't quite a market hit so far, it seems Apple won't drop the product, but do as any smart company would do with a product that sells a bit below expectations - lower the price, and add new features. Since some time will pass until we get to see the results in sales and customer satisfaction of these measures, let's see what's new in the Apple TV field!

Yesterday, during its MacWorld keynote, Steve Jobs revealed the new software for the Apple TV, allowing the rental of movies from the iTunes Store directly from their TV-set. More details about the new iTunes can be found here, so now I'll tell you about some things that I didn't wrote there...

By using the new iTunes Movie Rentals and the Apple TV, you can rent one of the 1,000 movies available by the end of next month, including over 100 HD-ones featuring 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. Obviously, no computer is required. Oh, one more thing - the HD titles are a bit more expensive, with $3.99 for library titles, and $4.99, the new ones.

While the new Apple TV, priced at $229, for the 40GB model, and $329, the 160GB one, will be launched to the public in about 2 weeks, existing owners of the older models can update their software free of any charge.

At last, it would be nice for you to know that with the new Apple TV,photos from your computer, Flickr and .Mac Web Galleries can be viewed on your TV as slideshows or screen savers as easy as possible. Is that cool, or what?