Apple said this week that it’s delaying shipments of its much-ballyhooed Apple TV until mid-March. The device was originally scheduled to ship in February. The box, which connects to a TV set, allows consumers to use iTunes to transmit video wirelessly from a Windows PC or Mac to the TV.
As with most any Apple product these days, there’s been a lot of hoopla about the Apple TV – with some even predicting that it’ll do away with DVDs and CDs. Who needs a disc when any video is available on the Net for download to a PC and then streamed to a TV set in another room?
Apple doesn’t break many promises. Of course, one reason is that it doesn’t make many, preferring to wait until a product is ready for shipment before making an announcement. The company had to announce the iPhone before it was finished because most of the products details would have leaked out when Apple began applying for various government approvals.
Because of Apple’s track record, the Apple TV delay should not cost Apple any creditability with consumers.
We’ve said for years that the missing link in the digital media industry is the one that connects PCs and TVs.
“Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected, and we now expect to begin shipments mid-March,” spokeswoman Lynn Fox said.
What’s a few more weeks for what could be the industry’s most important product?