Apple TV first impressions

By now, if you preordered an Apple TV, you should be enjoying one for yourself, but in case you didn’t, a limited number of units were available yesterday at Apple stores in the US. If you weren’t able to snag one however, we have a quick overview of the new unit to hold you over. As far as sizing, well… it’s as tiny as the photos on Apple’s site make it look. Definitely smaller than two iPhone 4s placed next to each other, though a little taller. Around the back of the device, things have been simplified. You’ll find a power port, HDMI port, optical audio port, ethernet port, and microUSB port. Yes, that is all. Though the Apple TV comes with a new CNC’d aluminum remote, you are going to want to use an iOS device if you have one. Not only is the Remote app for iPhone, iPod touch and now iPad fully redone, it also gives you access to your shared home content on iTunes. That means you can control every song or video in your iTunes library as if you were at your main computer.

In addition to now streaming instead of painfully syncing your iTunes content, there are obvious other advantages of the new Apple TV. The first one? Netflix! Something long available on practically all other home entertainment consoles, DVRs, and systems, Netflix on the Apple TV works great. It’s simple to set up, and you have access to everything you would want from the comfort of your sofa. We’re cooking up a more detailed overview, but there are a couple in action shots after the break for your enjoyment. Also, definitely chime in if you’re a lucky owner of a new ATV — hit us if you love the new design and feature set, and comment if you don’t — we want to know what you guys think.