One bright spot to being relegated to bed with flu-like symptoms (happily, not the H1N1 varietal) was I was already in front of my telly and Apple TV when the Apple TV 3.0 update, so at least I could feel mildly productive while feeling mildly feverish. While introduced to great fanfare in March of 2007, the Apple TV has slowly become Apple’s version of the weird uncle you wish hadn’t shown up at the reunion. For much of the last year, the Apple TV has been virtually forgotten by Apple, which probably has followed the lead of Steve Jobs who famously referred to the device as just a “hobby.” And while it’s a good sign to see a software and UI revamp in addition to the recent $100 price drop on the 160 GB Apple TV, the ATV could be so much more if Apple would throw a bit more weight behind the product.

The UI of the Apple TV 3.0 software adds a welcome graphical oomph, displaying cover images of unwatched TV shows or recently added albums to the top of the screen, as well as elevating the menu choice for content you’ve synced to the Apple TV as the first choice over the previous top item that brought you to the iTunes storefront. The update also purports to support the recently added movies with iTunes Extras (i.e., bonus materials) and iTunes LPs (albums with a multimedia interface offering lyrics, photos, etc.). However, I was unable to get the one iTunes LP I own (the new Jack Johnson live album, the only one of the few choice available that interested me) to work with the Apple TV–the songs synced over, but not the iTunes LP multimedia package.

It sounds like this might change in the next couple weeks as Apple updates compatibility with previously released iTunes LPs (and movies with iTunes Extras), but that will require a re-download of that material–which is frankly stupefying, but just another reminder that the Apple TV’s second-class hobby status. Anyhoo, it doesn’t sound like I’m missing anything, as Jason Snell at Macworld notes that the iTunes LP interface “drops away” once you decide to actually start playing the album, returning you to the standard Apple TV Now Playing screen.

There are some who wish Apple would add a Blu-ray drive or DVR recording of TV content to the Apple TV’s arsenal, but these are pie-in-the-sky wishes that Apple will surely never fulfill. As an Apple TV owner, I just want a device that plays media reliably (my ATV has recently started to freeze occasionally for a brief moment during playback) and a fuller spectrum of content choices. While the TV section of iTunes is pretty robust (which is great, since we gave up cable over a year ago), movie selection (rentals in particular) is frustratingly hobbled by the complex web of availability windows dictated by Hollywood studios. At minimum, I’d love to see Apple open up the ATV to additional file formats, but luckily the device is decently hackable on your own with Boxee or using ATV Flash collection of apps (which I will be purchasing as soon as it’s compatible with the new ATV software 3.0).

Now, for other Apple-y bits and bites from the week (on the shortish side as I’m still bed-ridden)…

• Leander Kahney has a review of his new 27-inch iMac over at Cult of Mac, calling it the “sexiest desktop on the planet.” I got to ogle a 21.5-inch model a friend bought this week, and I love the build quality of the unibody design and the screen was definitely kick-butt. However, 27-inch iMac owners beware–it seems some users have been afflicted with choppy Flash video playback.
• The VMware Fusion 3.0 virtualization software (which lets you run Windows alongside the Mac OS) got released this week, and MacNN gives it an extensive and positive review. And it’s got full support for Windows 7.
• Rumor Revue: The next iteration of the MacBook Pro (which got a refresh just in June) is rumored to include some models with Intel quad-core processors. References to new MacBook Pros have been detected in the latest build of OS X, and they could be released before the holiday season. And 9to5Mac reports the iTablet has been shopped around down under, with the Sydney Morning Herald among several top-dog media companies getting the low down on the specs of this machine.
• I’ve been using the Lala.com streaming music service more and more lately, and Lala’s hoping to get its iPhone app approved by Apple for release in November. TechCrunch has a look at the app along with a hands-on video.
• And finally… perhaps the greatest Apple-related Halloween costume ever: lifesized iPhones with fully working screens:

–Agen G.N. Schmitz

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