I used a similar, short-lived service about ten years ago. It was part of the long-gone mp3.com. You downloaded a small application that would scan audio CDs placed in your CD-ROM to determine that you owned the title, and provided that the album had been ripped into their system, you could log in and stream it from any broadband-connected computer. This was a time when the major labels were highly suspicious of ANY electronic distribution of music, so the service didn't last long.

It seems like an easier route for Apple would be to buy a service like Orb, which allows you to stream all your media directly from your computer to another device.

Just a guess, but I wonder if the lack of availability in certain countries has anything to do with privacy laws in relation to some of the concerns mentioned above.

@delphinus87

I have G4 HD, and trust me, you aren't missing much.

My circa-2007 42" Panasonic Plasma would occasionally suffer some temporary image retention when it was new, but that would only last for 5-10 minutes at most. Now that it's been in use for over two years, there is no image retention, much less burn-in, at all, and it's no less noticeably bright than it was as new.

Interestingly enough, other than the bigger LCD screen, this unit has all of the styling characteristics of a Sony head unit from 15 years ago. I'm glad they've put those gaudy, flashing designs behind them.

@Ned Scott
Technically, in some jurisdictions, I believe you'd have to hire a licensed electrician to do this sort of thing legally, but it's not like the electric police are going to come knocking at your door to see if you've been changing outlets on your own.

Still, these code regulations exist because there's always some moron out there who thinks he knows what he's doing, but ends up burning down their house because an electrical connection was made improperly.

That car is making a face like somebody farted, but beyond the front fascia, it's pretty sharp looking.

As an RCN customer I'm really excited about having my fairly capable but limited Motorola DVR replaced with a TiVo HD.

That's the best-looking Lexus ever, by a thousand miles.

Wasn't there some sort of controversy over the naming of the Apple TV? Wasn't it originally the iTV when first introduced? No big deal, huh.