Google TV: Interesting, But Where’s The Desktop App?
Google just announced Google TV, a service which intends to make searching for Internet content really easy, merging television, the web, and search. It will be built-in to televisions and hardware boxes like Blu-Ray players.
Google is smart to fold this service into hardware made by others, a strategy which seems to be working well for Netflix, whose Watch Instantly service is presently available on Blu-Ray players and game consoles.
This move is also interesting in regards to Google’s continued competition with Apple. The Apple TV is definitely an Apple weak spot. Although I still use our Apple TV, regularly, it hasn’t had a worthwhile update in quite some time, and there are definitely things I wish it could do (Hulu, Netflix Watch Instantly), but Apple wants to protect content sales and rentals through the iTunes Store. Mostly the Apple TV is used as a media bridge, streaming content stored on the Mac Mini.
But Google TV has one thing missing. Our entertainment system already has too many components, and I don’t want to buy more boxes or upgrade any existing ones. Meanwhile: a really capable box is already connected to the TV: a Mac Mini — the increasingly common media center PC. The most commonly used app on the Mac Mini is Hulu. It’s a desktop app designed to look really great on a television. Netflix Watch Instantly and Apple content is also viewable on PCs, along with Boxee.
So where’s the Google TV desktop app? If it existed, I’d be running it right now on the Mac Mini, and not struggling with the “yet another box” dilemma, delaying Google TV until new component purchases years from now.
I wonder if in their rush to invade the living room, Google overlooked a really obvious place to launch an Internet-video search application. Hopefully, it’s in the works.
I’m not sure that Google TV does any more than my Mac Mini is already doing. It might make things a little more convenient.
Ignoring the Mac Mini for a second (because it’s pretty hard for any of these devices to compete with a computer on anything except price), I think there’s potential for Google TV.
I probably read a similar idea here a while ago, but an AppleTV that supported iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad apps would be incredible. Bundle in a remote that responds to multitouch, and some specialized apps for streaming and downloading via the iTunes Store.
If Apple ever creates an app for streaming your photos, videos and music from your home machine to your iPhone, it would fit perfectly here, too. In fact, the AppleTV would make a good introductory product for the new service, and then offer it a few months later for everything else.
At this point, unless Apple decides to drastically rethink the AppleTV, Google is going to reach this point first.
Side note: Could you enable subscribing to comment threads? It’s a third party WP plugin, by one of the lead WP devs. I’d really like to follow comment threads here, as I’ve likely replied and forgotten to check back.
I truly hope Apple’s long time between updates means something big in the works for the Apple TV (working with an iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad, apps, or something related to LaLa). Otherwise, yes, Google has a chance at making some inroads into the living room. Apple’s delay is Google’s opportunity.
Will look into comment thread subscription. I had that working at one point, then replaced with Disqus, now moved back, so it’s doable.