With each and every launch day that Apple announces a buzz inevitably follows. A buzz that means one thing, a queue outside your local Apple Store. Today is Friday 16th March 2012 and that signifies another Launch Day for an Apple Product. Actually on this occasion it means two products making their entry into the Apple world. The first needs no introduction as it is officially the world’s most popular tablet – The new iPad, or the iPad 3, or the iPad HD, or as the box says the 3rd Gen iPad.
The second product to be released today is the new AppleTV, the main thing for this sleek little bit of kit is the addition of support of full HD, or 1080p. I personally have never had an AppleTV before, but it has always intruiged me. I pretty sure I don’t need one, but I’m pretty sure I don’t need an iPad either, so negating the ‘need’ issue, the next question is do I want one? Hell yes!
So they come in at £99.00. Pretty tidy little price tag, I think when these devices debuted they were clocking closer to £400!
Why then do I want one? I have no idea! Probably because it has an Apple on it! Anyway I decided that I would sacrifice the 4G model of the iPad and take the £100 saved and splash the cash on this, and therefore in effect be £1 up, result!
So today I had a great day shopping, having queued outside the Belfast, Northern Ireland Apple Store from around 05.30am in I walked to the store and a mere 10 minutes later walked out £658 lighter in the pocket, but with a new AppleTV in one hand, the other gripping onto my new white 64Gb wifi iPad. Result!
Oh and remembering Northern Ireland is a pretty small wee country the queue at this time of the morning was reasonably substantial : (Although to be fair, last year with the 17.00 hours launch of the iPad 2 the queue was 4 or 5 times this!)
By the time the door opened I would reckon there was around 250 people waiting, good work Apple. And yep it was an event, cheering, high fovea, wooing, running, photos, videos, tweets, facebooking and free tea and coffee. All makes it that little bit easier when you are standing there! Anyway, I bought the iPad and the AppleTV. The net will be flooded today with iPad related posts so I thought I would go visa versa and mention briefly the Apple TV – (Also I haven’t opened by iPad yet as my Zagg InvisibleShield hasn’t arrived yet! Thanks expansys for your pi$$ poor delivery speeds by the way. Everyone else who does ‘1st Class’ gets things here First Class (99% next day) not four days, and with Monday being a bank holiday that won’t be happening either! Piss poor expansys, piss poor my friends! The AppleTV then, here you will find the unboxing photos, I won’t bore you with the details, that’s ultimately why I took photos, but it is easy to see the usual applies, the packaging is discreet, tidy and exceptionally well designed, beautiful from Apple as usual. Even the little plastic protectors over the AppleTV are works of art, remembering once you rip it out of the box these little strips are for the bin, but yet clearly effort has went into their design…
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Here’s the rest for you to admire…
The last three pics there give you a little insight into the new layout and new app icons that AppleTV has decided on, and with this being my first look at the product I am massively impressed. The first thing I noticed was that the setup was an absolute gift. Enter your wifi password, enter your AppleID and away you go, that’s it, it’s done! Then turn on home sharing in the settings and every tune you have, very movie is just waiting there fore you to listen to or watch, this to me is brilliant. I have noted also that Photostream is there and waiting however I haven’t turned this on yet, on anything, phone, MacBook, old iPad, so it is still a bit alien to me, so I will give you a verdict on that is a few days onceI have a proper play around with it.
Couple this with the vast library of stuff on iTunes and this is a pretty decent media centre for £99! I had a quick blast with the HD and decided to watch a trailer, and boom clicky, likey, streaming in glorious HD, it was quick and this was at 17.00 hours on a Friday evening. Good stuff, this is something I am looking forward to playing with properly.
I will post up more thoughts on AppleTV as I go along, but initial impressions are, easy setup, looks wonderful, vast library and home sharing…great.
Oh and Airplay just popped into my head, Airplay looks great, but I need to get the iPad cracked out for that, so hurry the hell up expanses and get my IS here quick smart!
Anyway, I bought the iPad and the AppleTV. The net will be flooded today with iPad related posts so I thought I would go visa versa and mention briefly the Apple TV – (Also I haven’t opened by iPad yet as my Zagg InvisibleShield hasn’t arrived yet! Thanks expansys for your pi$$ poor delivery speeds by the way. Everyone else who does ‘1st Class’ gets things here First Class (99% next day) not four days, and with Monday being a bank holiday that won’t be happening either! Piss poor expansys, piss poor my friends!