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Apple TV Released Officially In India: Is It Really Worth Buying?

When Apple India released official iTunes store for few days back, it was a clear indication of how the company is getting serious in penetrating India’s spontaneously growing digital market. And Apple TV was a clever next step, which would have justified the launch of India specific store. And well it finally happened – The Apple TV is now officially available in India for Rs.7900.

I am pretty much negative about this launch, as it isn’t a perfect time for the official launch of this product, that converts your normal TV into a smarter one but only with Apple Ecosystem. But, if you are not aware of what Apple TV is, and what it is capable of, following is more information about it.

Apple TV in India - Review

Apple TV Review

It’s a really cute looking small size gadget that can easily fit into your palm, connects with your TV via HDMI connection. Apple TV is capable of displaying 1080p that you buy from Apple’s iTunes store or online streaming from popular services like Netflix & Hulu (Both   not available in India yet.)

As iCloud is one of the major apps any iOS devices comes with, Apple TV lets you showcase your photos & videos from iPhone or iPad directly to your TV. So basically, if you are owning Apple products already, Apple TV would be a just perfect companion for your TV as well.

Most important feature people buy Apple TV for is, Airplay mirroring. This feature will let you mirror your iPod Touch, iPad & iPhone on your TV directly. It can be worked out as a remote or dual screen experience for playing games in high-definition. If you recently heard about new Xbox Smartglass technology, Apple has been already excelling that technology from few years with Airplay mirroring.

Dual-Screen-Gaming-Apple-TV

Note that Airplay needs Wi Fi connection setup between your devices and Apple TV for the best experience, but you can also rely on latest Bluetooth technology available on the device itself.

Thanks to latest A5 single-core processor, there is no compromise on performance of this device, and connectivity options like Wi Fi, Bluetooth, Infra Red & Optical port, makes it easier to connect every high accessories to Apple TV.

So to sum up, Apple TV is basically an high-end media streamer that comes at cost of Rs.7900, a lowest cost device from Apple you can get. The device is prices just $99 in international market, but price hike in India comes as no surprise, considering company’s previous launches.

For more information on Apple TV you can read this official tech specs documentation here.

Is Apple TV Worth Buying in India?

First of all, unless you own many of Apple gadgets and you are dying to play your games on your TV, its pretty much useless if you are buying it for media streaming purpose.

If you are looking for your Apple TV to run Netflix or Hulu, you need a separate approximately $10/month subscription for each. But problem here is, you can not access both of these services unless you are living in United States. So, if you want them stream here in India, you need to buy a USA VPN, which needs another $10/month service, to get it all working.

Now, I am a tech enthusiasts and I own both Hulu Subscription and premium VPN  service here in India, and I run it through my Xbox. But problem I mostly face is with online streaming. Even if you own 1 Mbps connection, Hulu seems to buffer or interrupt. Netflix run on low resolution, considering the slow connection speed, and whole juice of enjoying international TV series in high-def gets ruined badly.

So if you are buying Apple TV in India, make sure you have – 2Mbps+ Internet connection, VPN Service and Hulu/Netflix subscription. (Should cost you somewhat Rs.2000 per month). If you ask me, its freaking expensive to own this device unless you have really deep pockets.

Apple TV - India iTunes Store

But yes, like me if you already own these services and good broadband connection, you might wanna buy Apple TV. I won’t be buying it as I own much powerful media & gaming  – Xbox 360 S! If you own PS3, Xbox, Roku TV or Media streamers like WD live, there is no point in buying Apple TV at all. Also, the most importantly all the music and TV series you are going to see on this device, has to be bought from iTunes market, which leaves only one reason for buying Apple TV, which is Airplay gaming, and photo sharing on TV. There are very few Indian titles available on iTunes store, and there are no dates available for such launch, even if Apple is trying hard to partner with Indian production houses.

So to sum up, Buy Apple TV if you are enjoying the ecosystem already and you already own gadgets that can connect with it. Buy this if you want to play games via Airplay mirroring, which no other gadget can replace for you.

Apple TV Alternatives in India

If you are looking for some simple HD media player solution, I would suggest you to go for Amkette Flash TV HD, which comes at approximately Rs.4000, have handful of features and pretty decent upscaling. Only thing missing here would be Internet connection and online apps like Hulu, YouTube or Vimeo. At least, you won’t have to buy anything else after buying this Amkette Flash TV & considering Apple TV, it can play all of your existiing media flawlessly on your big screen TV. For almost twice the cost you can buy Asus O!Play HD or WD Live media players, which offers much more features than Flash TV HD & Apple TV as well! Do let me know, what is your opinion about buying Apple’s newly launched TV device in India for the price of Rs. 7900, and is it worth buying for you? Also, Please share this article on Facebook & Twitter if you find it interesting!

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