Futuristic design, a strong appeal factor and tons of channels to surf, the Apple TV MD199LL/A offers more than that. If it were up to me, I’d make it mandatory for everyone to have this device at least once in their lifetime. Even if you are not planning to buy Apple TV MD199LLA, you could at least have loads of fun while demoing it at the retailers.

The Good the Better and the Awesome Stuff about Apple TV MD199LL/A:

Many people outside of the U.S. don’t know much about Apple TV MD199LL/A or simply put, Apple TV 2012. Needless to say, there is a huge population of people in many countries who are still not used to the concept of Apple TV – they simply don’t know what this device is, or what it does.

In a nutshell, Apple TV is a façade of genius. It is a device that lets you stream TV shows, movies and a whole variety of different programs, directly from the iTunes Store. You can watch these channels, programs or movies on rental basis; that’s how people use this device.

Every few months Apple releases OTA updates for Apple TV MD199LL/A. People install these updates to experience new applications, latest smart features and so much more. But the bottom line is that this product is futuristic, it is meant to replace the age old concept of watching TV through cable subscription.

• Setup is dead simple as it only takes less than 10 minutes to get things going.
• Overall, the interface is a combination of brilliance, nice visuals and shortcuts to immediately acess your most favorite programs, games and applications.
• AirPlay was recently added to Apple TV MD199LL/A. Users can now listen to music and see videos through different online video platforms.
• 1080p video support makes display even better on your HDTV.

iTunes, Your Favorite Channel Providers and Wireless Display – 3 in 1 Combo:

Essentially, the Apple TV MD199LL/A is the purveyor of three things: a) the iTunes, b) your channel provider’s services or the content from the iTunes store, and c) the wireless display system. While you are patched into your iTunes store account, you can rent stuff to watch it via the Apple TV 2012. At the same time, if you are not in the mood for renting outs, you can view the old content through your purchase history.

To some people, the concept of watching content through iTunes seems bizarre. There is a sense of limitation, which kicks in with the realization that most of the times, you can only use the Apple TV MD199LL/A if you have iTunes. However, with the iTunes match, the music, the videos, and movies are all too great.

Another perk of having this product by your TV’s side is that you can stream content from your computer, while it is On and in a different room. However, again, for this to work, your computer will have to be logged into the iTunes account. Apple does know how to be exclusive with its products and services.

Eventually, it is the AirPlay, the final feature of Apple TV MD199LL/A, which makes it so much worth it. Let’s say you have a MacOS device or maybe an iOS based device, you can stream music, video clips and movies straight from these devices on the Apple TV. The fact that you have an iPhone, which is again, a pretty common household device these days, makes it so much convenient to have the Apple TV.

Apple is trying to make a uniform identity. The products which this company creates, they are all interlinked to one another with respect to their services. Prior to the iPhone 5 launch, there was no Lightning Connector dock, which I think that it made it easier for people to use universal iDevice accessories.

Anyhow, we are not talking about the Lightning Connector compatibility here. We are just talking about AirPlay and how it settles in with rest of the stuff in the Apple TV MD199LL/A. While you have the video playing on the Apple TV MD199LL/A, your AirPlay feature transmits its controls on the iOS based device. It means that if the video is playing on your TV, the AirPlay lets you control it through your iPhone, the iPad or whatever iDevice you have.

Mirroring would be the proper terminology for this AirPlay facility. It “mirrors” the application running in the Apple TV MD199LL/A, back to the iOS device. But AirPlay does have a few limitations. You cannot, at least for the time being, expect to mirror HBOGo on AirPlay. It doesn’t work that way. They have blocked the HBOGo app completely.

Now comes the gaming part. You can mirror games and play them via AirPlay. ‘Asphalt 6’ is a popular title these days. There is a minimal lag, which means that the game streams without any stutters or long pauses. There is NFS to be played. I did notice that during fast paced game, the “minimal” lag over AirPlay, caused my iOS or the Apple TV 2012 to crash the game.

This part brings us to the negative points of the Apple TV MD199LL/A.

The Bad Stuff about Apple TV MD199LL/A?

• Channels and content is limited. Perhaps a new update release will bring an expansion.
• The iTunes only content limitation makes it kind of irritating. Again, if you don’t have issues with it, this point doesn’t add up to the negatives.
• AirPlay lags at certain times make it hard to play games.

Your Enjoyment of Apple TV MD199LL/A Depends On What?

Yeah, the enjoyment factor depends on the fact that you are giving yourself the liberty to try something new. If you don’t have an iTunes account or you are in a country where iTunes does not work well, the Apple TV MD199LL/A is not for you. Period. Why lie to you for the sake of writing a review when this product could be of no use?

On the bright side, iTunes is not a bad place to virtually shop for cool movies, videos, music files and etc. This device is a joy to have. Simply looking at its lush interface gives a special vibe to you. Ever seen those movies where they show the future? Well, when you have plugged in the Apple TV 2012, you get that exact feeling.

That being said, the company still has a long way to go. I mean there is room for improvements to the device. AirPlay is a nice feature but it doesn’t stick around much. There should have been some other features to extend user interest levels. To me, AirPlay did the trick. The fact that iPhone itself is common and practically everyone owns it these days – this was convincing enough for me to buy and test Apple TV MD199LL/A.