As I have written previously, Google and Apple are in fierce competition with each other, which is good for all us. Competition makes both companies work harder to deliver better products at less cost. Google has just announced their Google TV service. It is a bit different than Apple's Apple TV. Apple TV is a small device you buy directly from Apple; you can stream all your iTunes and iPhoto content (pictures, music, movies, TV shows) from other Macs nearby, and you can also access and watch movies from Netflix and other online sources.
Google TV requires that you buy certain models of televisions made by Sony with the "Internet TV" feature, or by buying a little box from Logitech that you hook up to your existing TV. The Google approach emphasizes search and a browser-centric design, and comes with the ability to use apps very similar in style and approach to iPhone/iPad apps. The apps feature is not present on the current Apple TV, but the Apple device appears to let Apple turn that feature on in the future.
This all has a bit of the feel of the Betamax vs. VHS wars of the early eighties. How many boxes, widgets, and gadgets do vendors think we want attached to our, um, "TV," although the notion of "TV" is rapidly becoming dated? The vendors seem to be able to invent new devices to attach quicker than TV makers can add extra inputs. Let's count what an average home TV might have attached:
So we are up to six boxes so far, and I have probably missed some, like a Slingbox. At some point, this all becomes too much trouble for the average person, but the situation is not likely to improve until service providers and manufacturers agree on some standards for some of this stuff. Don't hold your breathe; all these companies have a nice slick PowerPoint presentation that has convinced upper management they can capture a majority market share and rule the world. Some of these firms will cling to the PowerPoint fantasy markets until they go broke.
What is the broadband connection? With all these new ways to access content, largely via broadband, not old-fashioned cable TV, fiber to the home is going to be a must-have amenity. I already hear from real estate agents that house buyers under 35 won't even step foot in a house without broadband, and soon it will be that house buyers won't look at homes without fiber. Trust me on the this one.