Apple TV

My first Apple TV quickly established itself as an essential addition to my home media setup. I used it primarily to send music from my Mac's iTunes library to the home theater audio system in our living room. In addition, it let me watch videos purchased or rented from the iTunes Store on the family HDTV.

iOS 6.1's Monday release may capture most of day's attention, but Apple's favorite hobby got a little love as well with the release of Apple TV Software Update 5.2. The set-top box gains a variety of new features related to iTunes in the Cloud, Bluetooth keyboard support, AirPlay sending, and more.

The Apple TV has evolved from a slow, hard-drive-based extension of your computer to a fairly capable media streamer. Although it doesn’t offer as many content choices as Roku’s set-top boxes, say, it gives you access to Netflix, Hulu Plus, major sports subscriptions, and more. On top of that, it’s the only media player on the market that lets you access your iTunes library and previous purchases from Apple, as well as stream content directly from a Mac or iOS device using Apple’s AirPlay technology.

On Monday Apple made the Apple TV Software Update 5.1 available to owners of second- and third-generation Apple TVs. Among the update's major additions are support for iOS 6's shared photo streams, AirPlay broadcasting, and iTunes account switching.

The redesigned 2012 model of the AirPort Express Wi-Fi base station has become the mouse that roars. The revisions transform this model into a tiny powerhouse by adding to its previous modest attributes a second ethernet port, simultaneous dual-band Wi-Fi, and a guest network option all in a form factor identical to the Apple TV (except white and an ounce lighter).

When Dan Kerzner wants to show his colleagues at Microstrategy the latest numbers for the company, he calls them into a conference room that's equipped with a television and he fires up his iPad--and without further fuss the spreadsheet on his tablet is on the big screen for all to see.

On Wednesday, Apple introduced a new version--the third generation--of its Apple TV media player, adding support for 1080p video and debuting a major update to the device's user interface with a number of new software features. But just as welcome to many Apple TV fans was the announcement that all of the software improvements in the new model are also available immediately to the previous model via Apple TV Software Update 5.0. Which means that if you have a second-generation Apple TV, even though you won't be able play 1080p video, you'll gain the rest of the new features of the latest model without spending a cent. (Your Apple TV should notify you that the update is

Before he passed away last October, Steve Jobs claimed to have cracked the code to a TV revolution: Make everything simple to use, sync all content with other devices through the Internet, and do away with clunky remotes and complex lists of cable channels.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster claims that a major television component maker has revealed that Apple has made inquiries about the capabilities of its display products. You know what that means--Apple TV sets! Maybe.