Jared Rudenstein

The Apple TV product is a small device that connects to your TV’s HDMI port.  It is not the oft-rumored 50″ HDTV built by Apple.  We may never see an Apple branded television, but what we are about to see is the Apple TV go to the next level.

Today, Apple TV allows you to bring different entertainment options to your HDTV.  You can watch Disney’s Frozen that you purchased on iTunes.  You can binge watch season 2 of House of Cards using your Netflix account.  You can stream your iPhoto images and “My Photo Stream” right to your TV.   You can even connect your Mac laptop, iPad, and iPhone to the Apple TV and mirror what is on those screens.  All of this for a one-time charge of $100 makes Apple TV a very compelling addition to your living room.

Apple does not discount their products because well they don’t need to.  When you can get a $25 iTunes gift card with purchase of an Apple TV, it raises red flags.  Combine that with the fact that Apple sold more than $1 billion of Apple TV hardware and downloads, a new hardware version with new features is likely imminent.

Look for more exclusive content such as WWE’s channel that was recently launched.  Look for gaming to be an added feature.  Candy Crush on a 50 inch HD screen!  Use your iPad or iPhone as a controller as the game plays on your TV.  Maybe a redesigned user interface as well to better gel with iOS7.

What does the future hold for Apple TV?  Perhaps one day you will log onto the Apple TV and have apps for ESPN and ABC that you pay monthly subscriptions for so you can truly cut the cord and pay for only the channels you actually want.  Now there’s a concept.