Oh I am sure they are making money off it, it doesn’t do much, and after after 5+ YEARS in the marketplace, yes Apple TV started shipping in March 2007 it still is basically a glorified BRICK, there is no real reason to own this device, unless you are just an apple fanboy and need everything apple makes.
Nothing it does doesn’t exist on countless other hardware, with perhaps the tie into iTunes store, that’s about it... Everything else it does you can do on any game console, most Blue Ray Players, tons of other and cheaper set top boxes and anymore many TV’s offer all this functionality. This is a piece of hardware that literally makes no sense in the grand scheme of things.
I would be willing to accept your long game scenario, IF there was one, but after 5+ years, its just another set top box that really offers nothing distinctive other than itunes integration, which at iTunes pricing, isn’t much to get excited over.
I view this thing as Job’s illegitimate kid from a drunken one night stand that lives in Europe. Really doesn’t have any real ties to anything, but can’t bring themselves to kill it.
Well, there's also AirPlay, but somehow from your tone I doubt you have the other devices necessary to take advantage of that.
It always amazes me when people buy set top boxes like Apple TV etc. when you can go to tigerdirect and get a desktop computer box with one of the latest CPU chips that will hook directly to your HD input of your HD TV and allows you to watch Hulu Netflix youtube and all the Network Internet channels in HD and it costs about 350 bucks. Plus you can play all the latest games and if you are knowledgeable in wares and such you can record most of these things and store them on your hard drive.
You also get the latest in Dolby Digital Sound if you have the proper sound system to hook it to and if you want blu-ray you can get the box with a blu-ray dvd player in it for about 30 bucks more.
And if you watch you can get the same thing for less than 300 when the put them on sale a few times a year.
We love our Computer Box that is hooked to our entertainment system. I am using it right now to make this post. FR looks good on a 58 inch screen!
Right now I have one 1.5 Terrabyte HD in my machine and we are going to get another soon and put all our home movies and pics on it as well as our favorite DVDs. I've already got most of my music on this HD.