Archives for September 2010

For all the complaints about Apple and its closed systems (their rigid control of the App Store, their refusal to allow Flash on iOS devices, etc.), if there’s anything we’ve learned from today’s introduction of the next generation AppleTV, it’s that the Hollywood studios should thank their lucky stars that they have a friend in Steve.

At $99 the new AppleTV is almost compelling, and if I ever get around to subscribing to NetFlix, I might even consider getting one. But what’s most striking are its self-imposed limitations, specifically it’s lack of a browser or third party apps. Oh you can stream from the iTunes Store and NetFlix and YouTube — in other words, trusted gatekeepers — but the bulk of the Internet is off limits.

In other words, it’s a device for streaming legal content, not the tens of thousands of pirated movies, TV shows and live streams that make up the bulk of the streaming video available online today. Yeah sure, I guess you could still download a pirated movie to your home computer and then stream that to your TV via AppleTV, but that just turns the AppleTV into a $99 cable. Besides, most consumers feel bad about stealing content, so given a convenient way to purchase it legally at a reasonable price they’ll opt for that. (Not that $5 for a new release compared to $1 from a RedBox is what I call a reasonable price.)

No doubt music industry executives resent Apple’s dominance, but the movie industry should be so lucky. In some parts of the world legal DVD sales have slowed to a trickle while illegal downloads and streaming have come to dominate the home viewing experience. Packing the same custom A4 processor as the speedy iPad and iPhone 4, the new AppleTV boasts more than enough horsepower to run a “home theater PC” that could easily bring the world of video piracy into millions more living rooms.

But Apple intentionally didn’t go there. And for that, Hollywood should be thankful.

I’ve always been a bit of a traditionalist; it’s just that I like to create my own traditions. For example, when traveling, rather than the usual touristy shots, I liked to have my photo taken while throwing out trash in front of a famous monument.

Me throwing out trash in front of Notre Dame. Me throwing out trash in front of Anne Frank’s house. Me throwing out trash in front of the Tower of London. You get the idea.

It was particularly fun when traveling alone to try to explain to some non-English speaking native or fellow traveler why I wanted them to take a picture of me posed in front of say, the Acropolis, while throwing out trash. And quite accidentally, it also turned into a surprisingly interesting ethnographic study of trash receptacles from around the world.

Well, according to an email from an old traveling buddy, you can chalk up even this innocent tradition as yet another victim of the Islamo-Fascist war on our freedoms:

Goldy,

I was with the kids in London this past weekend. Planned on sending you a picture of them throwing away trash at some famous location. Sadly all the trash bins have been removed from central London. I guess they made good places to hide bombs.

Damn you Osama bin Laden!

Last time I was in London was back in 1991, during the early days of the first Gulf War (i.e., cheap airfare), at a time of heightened IRA activity  (the enemy of my enemy, and all that). And while couple bombs and bomb threats disrupted rail service for a while, I didn’t notice any shortage of centrally located trash cans.

So it’s interesting that, after finally emerging from decades under the constant threat of IRA violence, the British authorities would take this drastic step in response to the odd Islamist attack. Kinda makes you long for the good old days, huh?