Apple Aims for Heart of the Family Room

Apple's big news is out, and our own Christopher Null was impressively on the mark with his predictions. What hits me about the announcements is how well Apple's new line of products and services strike at the heart of the family entertainment center and budget.

The new iPod nanos offer more for the same money: More colors, more gigabytes, and stronger shells—$149 for a 2GB model compared with the same price for 1GB now. But it's the Disney movie downloads and the iTV TV set-top box that seem perfectly aligned to bring more families into the streaming media age.

There are set-top devices and media routers that stream video from computers to TVs available now, but they haven't taken hold in most homes. And, as Chris points out, they don't stream video very well and they are not compatible with iTunes' closed-format music format.

With so many kids, and their parents, hooked on iTunes, the Apple set-top box, expected to go on sale for about $299 in early 2007, may be the thing that sparks families to connect their office computer to the family-room entertainment center.  Throw in the Disney movie downloads at $12.99 a pop, and it's an all-age family affair. Being able to stream music and movies  from computer to TV will appeal to lots of families.

Is Apple's set-top box something you'll be checking out for your family?