Airplay

Apple's new Apple TV.  Apple's new iPad OS 4.2.  They seem like completely different products, but in reality they complete each other.  With iOS 4.2 iPad's can use a new feature called AirPlay.  AirPlay is a wireless streaming connection that allows you to stream any iOS compatible video to the Apple TV (and presumably any other iOS device if you can SSH into it, crash the spring board and install lowtide.ipa).  Why is this significant at all?  Well this would be one of the first real competiters to wireless HDMI.  It streams at 720p and many critics are already raving about the superior frame rate that AirPlay has compared to wireless HDMI.

There is another important thing about AirPlay.  It is all the new Apple TV has.  Let's take a look back to 2007 when the Apple TV was just released.  Everyone thought it was going to succeed and create a new thriving market.  It didn't.  What happened was it co-existed in a niche market along with the Tivo and Windows Media Center.  However, AirPlay changes everything.  This is Apple's go-to-market strategy for Apple TV.  This is how Apple will reinvent the television.  The possibilities are endless.  AirPlay 1.0 only allows us to stream video when we push the AirPlay button, but AirPlay 1.1 could use a RFD to detect when you are in range of an Apple TV and stream a video automatically (of course you could turn this all of in the settings).  It could get even bigger.  AirPlay 2.0 could allow you to stream more complex types of media to your Apple TV.  You could stream E-books, apps, even games.

Apple has a winner on their hands.  All they need to do is to keep on innovating.  As long as they keep on updating AirPlay and the Apple TV, there is no limit for Apple's reach into the living room.  Apple TV and AirPlay are more products that change everything, but this time.  It's for the better.