Is Web Working in Apple TV’s Future?

So I broke down and got one of the new Apple TVs, despite my initial objections. There was a few reasons why I did, some of which I’ve detailed at our sister site TheAppleBlog recently. But the future possibilities of the Apple TV for web working also intrigue me.

 

Of course, there’s a huge “if” involved in that. That being that the Apple TV’s web working prospects are only as good as its ability to support and run apps in the future. If apps do come to the platform, it could become a revolutionary device for the person who works from home. That’s because if it does get apps, and if, like the iPad its internals are based on, it can support external keyboards or other input devices (maybe an iPad running a virtual keyboard app?), it could become the cheapest productivity computer available.

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iPad Claims New Honor: Fastest Selling Electronic Device Ever

Analysts at Bernstein Research (via CNBC) have bestowed an interesting honor upon Apple’s groundbreaking tablet device: fastest selling electronic device. Adoption rates for the iPad are unparalleled when it comes to non-phone devices. Consider that the DVD player, the next fastest seller, sold only 350,000 units in its first year, while the iPad sold more than 3 million in its first 80 days.

Bernstein’s guess is predicated on a sales rate of around 4.5 million units sold per quarter, which isn’t at all unreasonable given that consumer interest hasn’t shown any signs of significantly flagging since then. Even the original iPhone only sold 1 million units in its first quarter. If the iPad continues to sell at its current rate, it’ll become the fourth biggest consumer electronics category, in terms of sales, by next year.

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Google Mobile App for iPhone, now with Google Goggles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezc108DTaug&feature=player_embedded

Google Goggles Now on the iPhone

It’s not all war and competition between tech giants Google and Apple. Sometimes, the companies can come together, and the winner each time that happens is invariably the consumer. Today Google brings Google Goggles to the iPhone. Try saying that five times fast.

Goggles is a Labs product that Google introduced back in December of last year for Android devices. As its name implies, it involves the visual spectrum, allowing you to snap a photo using your device’s camera and using that to initiate a search. Now you can both talk to, and show Google’s iPhone app what it is you’re looking for.

Just download Google Mobile App from the App Store for free, and tap the camera button to search using Goggles. Goggles will then highlight elements of the image it recognizes, and you can tap on those areas to find out more. Google has a short video explaining the process:

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Revolutionary: Apple TV Could Be for Places, Not Just People

Just like iPads are for places, not people, there’s potentially more to Apple TV than meets the eye. And yes, it all hinges on the availability of apps and iAds on the Apple TV. As the world ponders what will be the killer app for the Apple TV, think for a moment about terminals that display live data for hotels, conferences, and mass transit meeting places like airports, bus and train stations.

These locations have all transitioned away from print and toward live, self-updating kiosks. Call centers, data centers, offices and various places of employment are likewise headed the same way. Just like iPhones and iPod touches can be used for point-of-sale (POS) transactions, iOS can also help Apple TVs replace the extremely outdated Windows in the realm of the commercial display.

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