So many people had rumored the Apple TV would be releasing late because of the fact on the site it had stated 2-3 week shipping, it still remains the same online, but the Apple TV is now here in stores and many people have already gotten their hands on one. I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the newly released Apple TV.

First of all looking at design, I have to say that it looks like a huge step up from the previous Apple TV. I personally found the older one too large in length and the color scheme on the older one didn't really pursue me into buying one. But looking at the newer design, everything has been cleared up and it looks very simple and best of all small. The black color scheme it has looks very nice on it and it is somewhat made of plastic which you can see through the inside components. A prominent little indicator light shows up once the machine is on, and through that "see-through" plastic you can make out an IR port which allows for handling the remote. The nice black matte finish on the top with a somewhat rubberized bottom makes it look nice and won't move around too much. But one design flaw that I find would be the fact that it is so light and small that twisted wires plugged in, will often move the Apple TV to an awkward angle and that can be a pain. It feature an HDMI port, Mini USB, Optical Audio, Ethernet and power. The overall look is very "Apple like" and you know what to expect: sleek with curved sides and very nice to look at.

Now looking at the software side: It has a very clean user interface, in which it is very easy to understand, and scroll through different show titles. The library of tv shows is a bit disappointing and the fact that the Apple TV is only limited to renting isn't that amusing. It also offers Netflix streaming and the ability to watch YouTube videos. Though you can also connect it to your iTunes library, to stream shows you like. One feature which we will have to wait till November would be the AirPlay feature, meaning you can run apps directly from your handheld iOS device onto your Apple TV. We will have to wait and see what that will be like. Videos are limited to 720p but that will be fine for most people.

Pricing wise at $99 we are looking at a very good priced Apple TV, this will sell well, I just hope that there is a more variety of shows offered and thus making it worthwhile.

The packaging for the Apple TV, is always pleasing with any Apple product, the box is extremely small and features the Apple TV, power cable, remote and instructions manual. I wasn't too happy with the fact that Apple does not include an HDMI cable, so unfortunately it isn't ready out of the box, you will require an HDMI cable.

So overall looking at the up's and down's I think overall the Apple TV is a good update, just hopefully we can see a better, more selection of tv shows and movies. Also I hope that Apple includes more accessories along with the Apple TV, as it saves the hassle of having to buy a separate HDMI cable.

As most of you had probably seen yesterday RIM had just released the much anticipated "Blackberry Playbook" and looking at the specs it has a lot of advantage over the current iPad, it features dual cameras, 1080p video playable and 7 inch display. Now at this point Apple must be wondering that since the competition has gotten a lot of advantage over them, it might be the perfect time to work on iPad 2. Apple Insider had reported that the idea of 7 inch iPad is not confirmed yet so we might be seeing an improved version of the 9.7 inch model we have right now. Rumors report that it will possibly be even thinner and feature a camera alongside a mini usb port. Many might be wondering "even more thinner?!" Well yes, because of the fact it currently weighs just 1.5 pounds, it might be hard to hold in a hand when watching long movies and can be tiring. So a thinner or to say a lighter iPad is nice. We do wish it had more connectivity and we hope to see that in the 2nd revision of the iPad. The iPad 2 is said to most likely release in early to mid 2011, but remember this is just a rumor at the moment.

While recapping all that has happened throughout 2009 and 2010, it seems obvious that Apple would take the number 1 spot, in terms of popularity in the media. There has been many products that have been introduced throughout this time and this has made Apple very popular among the media. It started with the Snow Leopard operating system releasing last year, then the introduction of the iPad along side new iPod's and a new iPhone. Apple is at the 15 percent mark when it comes to the total amount of technology news offered in the media, and they are quite a bit ahead when compared to their competitors Microsoft which stand at 3 percent. It is no wonder, because of Apple creating products which people actually like and the fact that they don't update their products that often, could be the reason why Apple is such a hype in the market.

iTunes 10.0.1 was released this week and brings along some nice changes to the Ping platform. Ping as you all probably know now is Apple's entry into the social media group and this means you can share songs which you have gotten through iTunes with other people. Some key changes Apple has made is adding a spam filter which does a good job at deleting spam, because the first few days when Ping was out, it was cluttered with spam everywhere. Now with this update you can also see what other people are listening to by posting what you are listening to from your library and others will have the chance to check whether they like what your listening to or not. This adds on to making Ping more intuitive. Many people now feel that Ping is going somewhere and that Apple is making some good adjustments, but others would still like it to be linked to Twitter and Facebook, this way it will be good for people who use it and can gain more popularity for Ping. Considering Twitter and Facebook are large social networks. This update hasn't really brought any changes to the user interface of iTunes, the design is still the same which is disappointing.

It's not the first time this has happened to an Apple product, it had also happened to the iPad when it was about to be released. Not only that but the iPad was also delayed internationally. The Apple TV which was expected to come around the end of September, early October has now been delayed till mid October. Shipping time according to Apple's site is around 3 weeks. Meaning around mid October. There were many people who had also pre-ordered an Apple TV, but Apple is planning to offer refunds, to those who did because of the delay. Could this be because of the fact more people ordered than the amount they had manufactured, or is it because of deals Apple is trying to work out with tv networks? We aren't sure yet, but I believe it won't be as big as all the other iOS devices.

Many people had awaited this in Canada and it was the launch of Netflix, ever since the new Apple TV launched, it had the capability of streaming Netflix, but due to the fact Netflix was not available in Canada at the time, made the use of the Apple TV very limited. Now that Netflix has come into Canada it still seems that the Apple TV in Canada doesn't have an option of streaming Netflix, hopefully an update will fix this. Netflix is also available through Xbox 360 and PS3. It costs $8 a month for this service, which is quite cheap and many people who tried out Netflix in Canada said, the library at the moment, is much limited to that compared of U.S. users. Also the service of delivering a Netflix disc, is only available in the U.S. but now that this is here, Netflix is looking to replace renting movies from iTunes. You can also stream Netflix from your iPod/ iPhone and iPad, if you are a subscriber to Netflix.

If the Apple TV allows for Netflix watching in Canada, then this might raise sales of the Apple TV and will be a good cause for Apple.

The Wall Street Journal, was reporting the other day that Apple is trying to get publishers to post magazines, and newspapers through iTunes. This will be perfect for iPad users who love to read their favourite paper on the go. Many magazines have released issues on the iPad such as Time. But the problem was they were limited to single issue sales. The issues were selling at around $4 to $5 which is quite expensive. "What's taking so long to get these publishers to release their magazines on the iTunes store? you ask. This could be because of the fact Apple will take 30% off whatever money the publisher's make and that is quite a chunk, also the fact that Apple doesn't offer much of any user data to publishers, as to who is subscribing to their issues, is kind of a trade off. But looking at the bright side the amount of sales on iTunes is huge at around 150 million + so that is also one reason which may want publishers to post their issues of magazines on the iTunes store. If Apple does manage to get these magazines on their iTunes store then this might be a step up for Apple and could also raise sells of publishers who are in the midst of declining sales at the moment. Will this ever happen? We aren't sure yet. Stay tuned for more news in the future.