Apple TV Update Delayed "A Week or Two"

If (like me) you've been eagerly awaiting the free software update that'll turn the Apple TV into a device that's actually worth buying, bad news: the wait just got longer.

Apple announced today that the hefty software update—which will, at last, allow you to buy and rent movies over the Apple TV box itself—is "not quite finished" and will be ready "in another week or two." During his recent Macworld keynote, Steve Jobs promised that the update would be ready in two weeks—or in other words, right about now.

Of course, Apple is no stranger to product delays; the Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" update shipped a whole six months late so the iPhone could hit stores on schedule. A two-week wait is better than six months, mind you, but I'm still bummed by the delay.

In the meantime, I've been keeping an eye on the slowly growing inventory of iTunes movies rentals. As of today, there are about 350 movies for rent online, running the gamut from "Speed" and "Action Jackson" to "Inherit the Wind" and "Dangerous Liaisons." (You can keep track yourself by clicking on "Power Search" on the Movies page; next, check the "Search movies that are available for Rental" box and click Search.) Not bad, but keep in mind that Jobs promised about 1,000 movies by the end of February—and I've said before, the movie selection (or lack thereof) will make or break the revived Apple TV.

I'm also concerned that there are still about 350 purchase-only movies (which cost anywhere from $9.99 to $14.99) on iTunes. Will these flicks (including "Mission: Impossible III," "World Trade Center," "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and "An Inconvenient Truth") get rental options? We'll have to wait and see.

Related:
Apple TV Update Delayed [MacRumors]