I've spent the last week playing with Apple's much-hyped TV box, writes Andy Clough, and can't quite make up my mind about this slick piece of wi-fi technology. Like all things Apple it's beautifully designed and very slick in operation - I particularly like the way album covers glide across the screen when you're flicking through your iTunes library.
And there's no doubt that setting it up is child's play - for once, this really is a 'plug and play' wi-fi device. Getting it to connect with my home wi-fi network took only a matter of minutes.
And yet... only 33GB of useable space on the hard disk is pretty mean. That's less than an iPod. As someone who has a huge library of digital photos, not to mention a pretty substantial iTunes collection, it's not going to be long before the disk is full.
Then there's the fact that you're tied to using iTunes, so video content will have to be from the iTunes store or, if it's your own, in MPEG-4 or H.264 formats (there's no official DivX support). Yes, I know there are hacks to get around these limitations, but that's just extra hassle. And while Apple TV is compatible with the new super-fast 802.11n wi-fi standard, unfortunately it's currently illegal in the UK.
But the biggest bugbear is the complete lack of TV programmes and movies currently available on the UK iTunes store. A couple of pop videos and movie trailers hardly makes this an alternative to conventional TV. Apple's PR assures us more content is on the way, but for now I won't be rushing out to buy this new wunder-box.