The Apple TV, what some people are calling Apple’s true video iPod or more accurately an iPod for Video, started shipping last week and can be also be found in the physical Apple Stores and Best Buys. Feature-wise its identical to what Steve Jobs described back in January but there have also been a few interesting surprises.

Links

• Apple’s Official Site
• Dave Pogue’s Review for the New York Times
• Ted Landau’s Review for The iPod Observer
• Walt Mossberg’s Review for The Wall Street Journal
• Engadget’s “Mother of All Interface Galleries”

Surprise 1: Hi-Def Not Required

Apple official specifications seem to indicate that Apple TV will not work on TV sets that only support the current “standard definition” inputs (a.k.a. 480i) but it turns out that’s not true. If your set supports component video (red, green, blue plugs) inputs then there is a good chance it will work with Apple TV, it just won’t look as nice as it would in true hi-def (480p, 720p, 1080i.)

Surprise 2: Cables Not Included

Apple does not include any connecting cables in the box, you’ll have to go out and purchase the appropriate component video or HDMI hi-def cable if you don’t already have it.

Surprise 3: Its Easily Hackable

The Apple TV runs essentially plain vanilla Intel Mac OS X, version 10.4.7 to be specific. Literally within hours of it hitting the streets boxes were opened, warranties were voided and the hacks started coming.

• Awkward TV – Apple TV Hacking Wiki
• Tutorial Ninjas: Hacking the Apple TV
• Something Awful thread: Supporting additional video format

You can already: upgrade it to a larger hard drive; watch Xvid, DivX and many other video formats; run some standard Mac applications; boot Linux; but sadly NOT run DOOM yet (yo, Collin, what’s up with that??)

And this is just the start. After the epic battles it took hackers to gain control of their Xboxes and other gaming consoles, Apple’s nominal security measures (basically just leaving out some Mac OS X software components that can be easily replaced from a standard Intel Mac) seems to have attracted their attention with a vengeance. Lots of very interesting open source projects, possibly including my personal favorite the excellent Xbox Media Center, should soon be making their way to the Apple TV hardware.

No Surprise: Its a Solid Product

Even without cracking the case the Apple TV seems to be a hit with most people who use it. Before you run out and grab one for yourself be sure to read through the specifications and reviews so you understand exactly what it can do. It will not record your TV shows. You can’t use it to buy videos from the iTunes Store (though you can sync your purchases to it.) Its not a floor wax, and its not a desert topping.

But give the Apple TV hackers another week and even that might change.