When Apple TV first hit the market, Google TV was hot on its heels. Both TVs provide
consumers with a way to watch television shows, videos, and other content. Yet, Apple and
Google couldn’t be more different. Since Apple TV hit the market first, Google had some time to
fix those things that Apple was faulted for.

This is why Google TV is slightly better than Apple TV (slightly). Unfortunately, both systems lack when it comes to content. Google TV has largely been barred from most major networks (At
the time of this writing), due to the fact that networks don’t want people viewing shows for free.
Apple TV is not much better, since Apple TV content is largely limited to iTunes selections.
Since content is the most important aspect of any TV, Apple and Google fail equally.

Apple TV Attributes

The Apple TV console can grab any form of digital media from a Mac OS X or Windows
system. You can also play music from the iTunes store, snag photos from Flickr, or choose a
video from YouTube. Apple TV acts as an intermediary between your current cable package and
anything you want to take from the Internet.

Unlike some online movie sites or cable packages, you pay per movie or song that you choose
from the iTunes store. So, you won’t be hit with a large bill at the beginning or end of a month.
While these features are great, the problem with Apple TV is the same problem that all other
Apple products have: Apple only works with Apple.

Apple TV Drawbacks

You may or may not find the shows you want on iTunes. Apple TV’s main purpose it to allow
consumers to stream videos and television shows from iTunes. Yet, iTunes doesn’t always have
the shows that you may be looking for. Apple TV does come with a Netflix built-in, so this may
make up for some shows that iTunes lacks.

Apple TV doesn’t include any USB support, which is another big drawback. Further, you are
stuck with one synched iTunes library. Lastly, Apple TV’s image quality is sub-par, which is the
one thing that this TV should excel at.

Google TV Advantages and Disadvantages

Again, the main disadvantage to Google TV is a lack of content. While Google won’t make you
choose from one store, Google hasn’t yet worked out a deal with major networks. This means
that you won’t be able to get your favorite television shows for free through your Google TV.
It’s possible that Google will work out this major kink within the near future, but for now Google
TV just doesn’t offer enough content.

Advantages include the ability to surf the web, play with apps, and turn your cell phone into a remote control. Sadly, none of these things justify the cost of Google TV when it’s not possible
to watch any popular network shows. Consumers who like the idea of Google TV may want
to wait for Google to work out network problems. Until that time, Google TV is simply a nice
alternative to those who don’t want to be stuck in Apple land.