Hands-on with the underwhelming Apple TV 3.0 update

This article sucked, when the question on the screen says " save password" click yes !!!

I also had the erroneous error message of wrong username/password. A recent power outage had shut down the Apple TV and my wireless router. Although nothing had changed (no security on the router - I live on a horse farm), it had dropped the network connection. After discovering that it would cost $30 for Apple to answer my email for help with their (flawed) product, I started walking through all the controls until I found the network link that was down.

Also, this is the LEAST GREEN device I own. It is too hot to hold in your hand even when on "Standby" mode. Very poor stewardship of the earth's resources Apple.

If I turn it off, it gives erroneous error messages, if I leave it on, it gobbles up electricity just doing nothing.

Steve, please update the title of your review to reflect more accurately your approach to the topic:

"Hands-on, Brain-off with the . . . "

Bought ATV a week and a bit ago. We're ripping all of our DVD's and placing them progressively on it to gain more shelf-space - and the convenience of being able to grab anything we want from the one repository without having to turn on the lights, search shelves and swap disks.

Update process: Turned on ATV and it found the update by itself. It just came up on screen: Update available Install/Ignore. Install - bing - done.

Comments: smaller font, not so good for ageing eyesight on a brand-new 32'' @ 11' viewing distance. Older menu designed prior to wide-scale ≥40'' deployment. (It probably looked extra grotesque on a Steve-sized widescreen.) A choice of font-size would be appreciated.

Gamma has changed to lollypop reds and blues in photos. Anyone else notice this? As a Design and Photography teacher I saw it as soon as the ATV welcome video started - the photos in the mosaic looked more garish and our own collection is now unnatural too. No point changing screen-settings as video colour is unaffected. Pity. Displaying photos on screen was the other great thing we liked about the ATV. From one drop-out, minimalist perfectionist who has always preferred black shirts since the late 60's, to another: uncle Steve, it might need fixing.

There's a bit of a flicker on ATV startup too now - looks a little cheap: the Apple logo gets horizontal hash and is replaced by three horizontally equidistant logos for a split-second. Not a good look.

Apart from that no complaints about the update.

What, you had your Apple TV on sleep for several months? Have you ever heard of peak oil, global warming, energy crisis, etc? You didn't think in all that time to unplug the device if it wasn't being used? Blimey, you must be made of money and/or uncaring about burning the money you do have. My own ATV is always unplugged when not in use.

I've posted a much more reasonable review on my blog at:

http://spicycauldron.com/2009/10/31/apple-tv-3-0-review/

Your own review is sadly lacking in many ways. Don't get me wrong, I have had an ATV since 2007 and it has been a source of great frustration but I think, at last, Apple is getting so much right and has only a short distance to go now before the ATV is a fully matured product. Of course, it shouldn't have come to market in its 'hobby' state, and most of the 2.x updates were incredibly buggy at times to the point of making the device unusable in my experience, but please - credit where credit is due.

The ATV 3.0 update is a major leap forward in terms of increasing the speed of access to items via the menus, playback reliability, the addition at last of Internet radio, and the obvious conclusion to be drawn from the new Internet menu is that more online services will follow (I'm hoping to see BBC iPlayer and other UK catch-up services soon).

I'm sorry if it wasn't your intention but my received impression from your 'review', such as it is, is that you never liked the Apple TV, resented having bought it, and approached the 3.0 update with an established cynicism that then went on to colour everything you wrote about it. As a review it is very much lacking, and poorly executed - I mean, your glib one-liner about the new interface? The new interface is hugely significant for those of us who do use the device, and often. A good interface is essential, a bad interface destroys any possibility of joy in the end user experience, and Apple has, finally, got it right with the ATV.

Give them some credit, and if you already hate a device in your possession so irredeemably, why bother reviewing at all?

This review is ridiculous. Mom, is that you writing for TUAW?

Loving the internet radio option...but..where is the Halloween music channel?

So after reading all the glowing comments about the Apple TV, I realized that this is what FANBOYS do!

Gotta love FANBOYS as they praise to high heavens Apple's worst product! Why would Apple bother to improve the experience you morons love it the way it is with all its issues, HAHAHA

Someone who hasn't used their Apple TV for a few months has no business writing about the 3.0 update for TUAW.

I was about as underwhelmed with your article as you were with the AppleTV update!