The (Insert Name) TV. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) gave it a try not that long ago, and now Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) giving it its own go. I must say that Google seems to have put forward a robust, well-rounded attempt to conquer what has thus far been the most important, yet failed endeavor for the Y2K and beyond tech industry: to seamlessly integrate the computer/web-browsing experience with traditional tv and movie media. Microsoft (MSFT) tried with its purchase of WebTV long before Apple gave it its own shot not too long ago and next to bat is Google. Everyone seems to have an inherent bias that considering the prior failures, so too is Google set for the same fate. Yet something feels very different this time around. All in all, Google TV is a huge development for someone like myself–an active investor with a penchant for cutting edge technology–and something that I believe bodes well for future growth of media content distribution.
My Personal Experience with TV in the Living Room
As a user, I was pretty disappointed with the AppleTV from day 1. When first released, it had neither a database of content to buy nor access to YouTube and the device altogether lacked any Internet browsing capabilities. There were some cool features: for the first time I was easily able to bring my personal picture and video collection to my TV and I now had a way to easily play my digital music through the living room surround-sound system without going analog. These were nice perks, but far short of what I was really looking for in an integrated media center.
The AppleTV eventually stopped working (yep it broke…) and I’m still not sure as to exactly why, but rather than fixing it, I decided to pickup a Playstation
