The Apple TV is ripe for development. Take a look at the hacks (www.appletvhacks.net) to see what the community is doing with this device to see what Apple should be doing with it, or check the wish lists.
I have a Mac mini connected to my JVC HD TV together with a wireless keyboard and mouse. I can check my emails, watch my downloaded tv and film, listen to music whilst browsing the web, and read the morning news whilst drinking my coffee.
Maybe I’m the exception, but my house has more than one TV… I know, its crazy, but even more crazy, I’d really like to have the same functionality as I do on my Mac Mini connected HD TV as I do on my other TV. Maybe in the future I want to buy a TV for the kitchen and repeat the same functionality their too. So what are my options?
1) By a Mac Mini or alternative small foot print computer for each TV? This isn’t a viable option. The cost of a Mac Mini is too high to buy one for each TV.
2) Use Aten 4x DVI Video Splitter together with their DVI extender to push my Mac Mini output onto multiple TV’s? Great as long as you don’t plan to control the second screen. The limited range of Bluetooth will cause problems.
3) By a Apple TV and modify the device to suit your needs? Perhaps for some, the addition of a few extra applications would suffice.
However, I like to think bigger. Take the Apple TV, put modified version of OSX similar to the iPhone OS that allows the Apple TV to install iPhone apps. Now you can have the same applications on your iphone on your Apple TV, including internet, email, streaming video (AirVideo), live TV (EyeTV), VNC (Jaadu VNC), Facebook, skype, photos, music… the lot!
Now build a new app for the iPhone that turns the iPhone into a game pad, keyboard, mouse (controller), with all the benefits of the phones hardware (accelerometer, compass, touchscreen) put to use on your TV. This helps keep the price of the Apple TV down whilst enabling you to increase the functionality of the phone.