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Apple TV Update Brings New Problems - UPDATED

In the motion picture industry, a "take" refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot. Let someone flub a line or miss a cue, and on you go to the next take.

This process continues until everyone gets it right

That being the case, it would seem that Apple TV's "Take Two" monicker is appropriate. Especially when we consider Friday's latest 2.0.1 update.

After installing 2.0.1, my Apple TV constantly loses its 802.11n network connection. I've had my Apple TV permanently drop off the network at least a half-dozen times while in the middle of streaming movies, and twice while browsing titles.

That particular "Take Two" 160GB Apple TV exhibited none of those symptoms immediately prior to the update, nor does a second, version 2.0 Apple TV I tried moving to the same location.

Apple TV Update Brings New Features

Apple released software update 2.01 for the Apple TV Friday, which was reported as fixing bugs and adding new features to the interface.

Although, to be precise, it appears to add one new feature, the addition of a "Genres" option when browsing your own movie titles.

Those of you with large movie libraries (you know who you are) will no doubt welcome this, as it lets you break down your monolithic list of movies into much more manageable sections, which in turn makes it more likely that you'll find something to watch based on your mood (action, horror, romance, whatever).

But while welcome, and long overdue, the Apple TV interface is still lacking in needed functionality.

Time Machine And The AirPort Extreme: What You Need To Know

This week Apple released a software update named "Time Machine and AirPort Updates v1.0", which "is recommended for all users and includes compatibility improvements for using Time Machine with Time Capsule, as well as AirPort driver fixes."

While we don't know everything that it does, one thing we do know is that it finally fixes the problem of not being able to do backups to USB drives attached to an AirPort Extreme.

So here's what you need to know, and do, to get things working.

AirPort Express Goes N: One Down, Three To Go

Apple just updated the AirPort Express to use next-generation 802.11n wireless technology, promising to to deliver up to five times the performance and twice the range of the previous model.

It's about time.

But since Apple still has three products restricted to 802.11g networks, your ability to actually see those performance enhancements remains problematic.

The iPhone SDK: Promises Broken, Promises Kept

Back when the iPhone was originally announced at MacWorld San Francisco, much was made of the fact that the iPhone wasn't just a phone, but a software platform in its own right.

Build on OS X we were told, Apple would be able to quickly and easily add applications and extend existing functionality.

But in reality, this never occurred.

Apple's Application Store: Not Just For iPhones?

In an earlier article I discussed how Apple new iPhone application store will promote an avalanche of applications as developers flock to both a super cool hardware platform and a marketplace designed to promote their creations to every iPhone owner.

In fact, the store is the only place where the average user can acquire third-party applications. A system described by many as being a "walled garden" around the iPhone and the iPod touch.

A point that has so many profound ramifications that one has to ask: can Apple enforce it? And if so, will they extend the concept to its obvious conclusion?

Why The iPhone Application Store Will Create An Avalanche of Applications

One of the announcements to come out of the iPhone SDK press conference was the creation of the "App Store", a place for developers to display and hawk their wares for both fun and profit.

In fact, the App Store is the only place where they can do so, which is bound to be a point of contention between Apple and the "information wants to be free" crowd.

Even so, I tend to think this is a good thing. Why? Well, one big problem software authors face is exposure. It's not enough to create a cool application. People have to know about it, find it, and download it. And in many cases simply getting paid for your work is a major hassle as well.

The App Store makes all of that happen.

Apple's Secret Conspiracy Against Flash

Lover's of Adobe's Flash development environment were dismayed at a recent statement by Steve Jobs that Flash was a resource hog and that Apple had no intention of pigging out the iPhone.

Immediately, Flash fires erupted around the web as supporters came out of the closet (yes, that kind of love) and scurried out from under the rugs, declaring to one and all that Apple had a secret agenda.

Flash, you see, was the secret weapon that would allow bright and untarnished access to all of the worlds content, thwarting Apple's dastardly plan to funnel every precious byte of content through iTunes.

My take? Steve's right. Flash is a resource hog, on many levels.

And for that, and for other reasons, I do NOT want it on my iPhone.

Will Apple Build The Safari Pad?

The New York Times is running an article probing Apple and the possibility of its building a "Safari pad", basically a larger version of the iPod Touch more suitable for multimedia, internet browsing, and... reading.

Like most discussions on the subject, this one makes note of a comment made by Steve Jobs when the Kindle was announced. "Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t read anymore."

While it's true that Steve has been known to say one thing and do another ("no one wants to watch video on an iPod"), I find his book reading comment to be very interesting and highly informative for one simple reason: turn it around, and it says that sixty percent of the people in the U.S. read two books or more last year.

One hundred and eighty million readers? And just in the U.S.?

I don't know about you, but that sounds like one heck of a market to me.

[via NYT]