14 DAY TRIAL // Reports indicate that Apple’s second generation Apple TV started shipping, or is ready to ship in over a dozen additional territories this week, including Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Belgium, and the Netherlands, as well as Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, and Mexico.
Two separate reports published by Mac-centric blog 9to5mac reveal that checks with Apple’s International online stores have turned up curious findings.
One such finding includes error pages when the user tries to access the Apple TV on Apple’s online store. Availability of the Apple TV is now listed on store.apple.com in Italy and Switzerland after similar troubles with page listings.
Furthermore, readers have let the blog know that the second-generation Apple TV is now available in Spain, Austria, and Mexico.
On September 1, Apple introduced its second-generation Apple TV touting it as “the simplest way to watch your favorite HD movies and TV shows on your HD TV for the breakthrough price of just $99.”
What makes the set-top box special is its focus on streaming content from the web, including from the likes of Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and content from Apple’s own MobileMe service.
The device also handles music, photos and videos from PCs and Macs putting them on an HD TV via the user’s local wireless network.
The makers market their product saying: “Enjoy gorgeous slideshows of your photos on your HD TV using Apple TV’s selection of built-in slideshows. Apple TV has built-in HDMI, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and an internal power supply for easy set-up, and features silent, cool, very low power operation in an enclosure that’s less than four inches square—80 percent smaller than the previous generation.”
The Apple TV costs $99 to buy and comes standard with an aluminum Apple Remote. The device can also be controlled remotely via an iPhone or iPad using Apple’s proprietary Remote application for iOS.