They have a computer in every living room. They could be the point through which all media runs, through which all console games are played, a total disruption to the TV industry, and they have squandered it on some of the worst software I have used in a long time.
Yet Apple will eventually release something "visionary" (i.e. a TV with software that works well), and they are going to spend years making second-rate copies of it.
The difference with TV is that content is a big differentiator, and it could well end up playing out in such a way that you need an Apple TV to watch certain shows.
The benchmark in set top box software at the moment is probably the xbox360. Plug it into any TV and it basically turns it into a smart TV.
Plus it has the advantage of being decoupled from the big expensive screen part so you can switch out to the new xbox when that is released without replacing your entire TV set.
Yet Apple will eventually release something "visionary" (i.e. a TV with software that works well), and they are going to spend years making second-rate copies of it.
The difference with TV is that content is a big differentiator, and it could well end up playing out in such a way that you need an Apple TV to watch certain shows.