Apple TV has come to India – and according to various news reports, it is priced at Rs. 7900. For those who are not aware, Apple TV is a device which enables viewers to watch internet based multimedia content on TV. Apple TV retails for USD 99 in US!
While there are many companies who have similar hardware+software offerings, none of them have content customized for Indian markets. While Apple TV also does not too much of Indian content (that’s what I assume), but from some of the screenshots that appear on Apple TV page, it is clear that some apps on Apple TV will allow for movie subscriptions and content subscriptions from India.
Companies like Akai and Amkette have recently launched android based boxes (Akai Smart Box & Amkette EVO TV) in India, that essentially allow you to view content from internet.
Apple TV differs in the fact that it comes with multimedia content customized to India along with regular features like watching Youtube, listening to internet radio etc.
Apple TV is connects to user’s Internet wireless network (or wireline through Ethernet port) and connects to the TV through HDMI. Apple TV users can subscribe to movies from iTunes store and can can stream them at full 1080p resolution. SD rentals on iTunes store start from Rs. 80, and HD rentals start from Rs. 120. Additionally, users can access their photos that are stored on icloud and stream it to their TV.
With Airplay in-built, Apple TV can also stream content from apple devices on the local network like iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPods.
My Take on Apple TV
On a personal note, I use Roku HD player at my home and it is very similar to what Apple TV offers, infact, they have far more channels on offer than Apple TV. But these devices need something that we lack here in India – A fast stable internet connection.
At home I have a 2 mbps unlimited connection, and my Roku player is not able to show movies even in SD quality without frequent buffering. I also think that Apple has priced the device slightly higher than what they should have. Rs. 6000 would have been a much better price-point for Apple TV in India.
Also, although the announcement has been made, when I called couple of local apple stores, employees seemed to have no idea about Apple TV!
