My Viewing Habits Are Different Than Yours!
It’s been nearly two months since I made the decision to cancel my cable TV service and I have to be honest, all I really miss is the time being displayed in my entertainment center from the box J. I think what I realized the most about the switch, in contrast to others, is that I do not have a typical TV viewing routine. Whereas it seems the majority of people follow local news and sports, I stick to a hand full of shows and watch many movies, more so than the typical cable subscriber. With that in mind, I don’t think Apple TV would be a suitable replacement for cable TV at this time. I believe that one day it could be a good contender, but at this point I would not consider it a full on replacement to cable television.
If I Were Like You
If my viewing habits were the same as most people out there, I think Apple TV would turn out to be a bigger expense than cable TV itself; having to purchase every show you view, on top of every season pass for sports can quickly add up, making the overall cost of Apple TV much higher than cable TV. Not to mention, there is a sinking feeling every time you purchase a show. It’s a feeling of consciously spending money on something that you feel should be “FREE”. Plus, there are some things you just can’t get on Apple TV, such as current HBO shows or local news stations.
Stick With Cable, But Get An Apple TV, Trust Me!
Even though this started out as an exercise to see if Apple TV could replace Cable, which many readers were intrigued by, I would like to get you out of the mindset that Apple TV must be used as a replacement to cable. Rather, it can be used to supplement or enhance your existing TV experience.
Earlier in the year, I had described to my Father the concept of Apple TV. He shrugged it off and stated that cable does all he needs. Even after informing him of all the capabilities of Apple TV, describing in detail everything from streaming video, pictures, music, Netflix, to being able to control it with your iPhone, he was still not sold on the idea. I was so convinced he would love it that I had one delivered to my parents’ house for Christmas. Upon arrival, he gave his name to the FedEx driver and in return they handed him a very small box, almost the size of an iPhone box. My Dad thought, “this can’t be right”, he explained to me, as he was expecting to pick up something the size of a DVD player or cable box. My Mother was able to hook up the unit without any problem. Later on in the evening I received a call from my Dad telling me how amazing Apple TV was, how he was streaming Netflix, and how my Mom had already hooked it to her iTunes account. Something he thought was useless or didn’t see the value in, he quickly fell in love with, and you will too!
What Do You Mean Apple TV Doesn’t Have A Monthly Service Fee?
The main question I received over the course of this experiment was in regards to the cost of Apple TV service. Apple TV is not a monthly service. You pay $99.00 for the device and that’s it. The device allows you to stream all your pictures, video, and music from your computers and iPhones to the Apple TV unit itself. The costs arise when you rent or buy a movie or TV show from the iTunes store or pay the $8.00 per month for Netflix. In addition, any purchases are made over the Internet, so you do need Internet access for that.
In closing, I will probably stick with Apple TV, because as I said, I don’t have typical viewing habits. I think the best fit for others would be to have Apple TV in conjunction with whatever they are currently using. I know it may sound like the benefits are minor, but once you start to use the device, as my Dad did, you will be amazed at how those small benefits impact your media viewing experience.
