gadgets

The world was a different place back in 2007 for Apple. The company was making oodles of money with its iPods and it was just about to release the iPhone upon the masses. But its Apple TV box didn't get as much attention during this time, with Apple CEO Steve Jobs calling it a "hobby".

Nowadays, anything branded with a half-chewed apple sells by the truckload. The tech giant capitalised on this by launching a revised model of the Apple TV this week.

The device stands out in a variety of ways, which can be a good or bad thing.

One of the most controversial choices was the decision to omit the hard drive. That's right, Apple has embraced digital rentals and streaming content.

On one hand, it's a great move for those with fast internet connections. But on the other hand, those wanting to lug their box over to a friend's home for movie night will be left in the lurch due to a lack of local storage.

There are a quite a variety of streaming and rental services available to users, ranging from Hulu and Netflix to Fox and YouTube. Unfortunately, services like Hulu and Netflix are only available in North America at the moment.

The iTunes store will also feature, with users able to stream films the day they come out on DVD. Another neat iTunes feature is the ability to rent commercial-free TV episodes from the likes of ABC and Fox for $1.

Those wanting to watch their own videos can also stream content from a PC, iPad or other device over a home network.

The new version of Apple TV seems to be squarely aimed at the connected home, with the US market in mind. While there's no doubt that it will sell more units than the previous version, the lack of a hard drive is likely to be a sticking point for many people. Then again, for $99, who wouldn't want a home entertainment system the size of a hockey puck?