2011 iLounge iPod/iPhone/iPad Buyers' Guide

2011 Buyers’ Guide IPODS, iPHONES + iPADS
How Does It Work? Apple TV deposits
you first in movie and TV rental areas,
but there’s more under “Internet” -
Netflix, YouTube, Podcast, MobileMe,
Flickr, and Internet Radio streaming -
and Computers, which plays iTunes
library content from PCs and Macs
you’ve linked to Apple TV with iTunes
10’s Home Sharing feature. With iOS
4.2’s AirPlay, video from iOS devices
will just take over the screen.
Movies. Theatrical
releases, solely for rent.
TV Shows. Network
and cable, also for rent.
Internet. Netflix videos
are the top new feature.
Computers + Settings.
iTunes streaming, more.
Trailers. Free previews of
films still in movie theaters.
Limitations. Apple’s launch
of Apple TV without support
from most TV studios means
that the device’s selection of
99-cent rentals is paltry by
comparison with the priorgeneration
model’s set of
$1.99 purchasable shows.
Search. This screen, used
in Movies, TV Shows, and
other parts of the Apple TV
interface, is a slow-moving
keyboard that just drags on
using the included remote.
More. YouTube, Flickr,
Podcasts, and Internet Radio.
iTunes. Videos, music, and
photos from your iTunes
library can be navigated
using old-fashioned iPodlike
menus from within
Apple TV; streaming is nearly
instantaneous. As with the
prior model, the new Apple
TV also offers support for
universal remotes, the ability
to learn commands from
other remotes, and Apple’s
own, more sophisticated iOS
Remote software - the only
way to use a keyboard.
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