Uncle Walt gives Apple TV a thumbs-up

Our favorite 'dead tree media' technology columnist, Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal, has a review out today (available free at ptech.wsj.com or with subscription at the mothership) of the Apple TV -- the 6-min video above includes most of the high points. Mr. Mossberg praises the unit for its simplicity and ease of setup; he appreciates the fit and finish of the Apple TV and likes the fact that it doesn't try to be everything for everyone. He and co-author Katherine Boehret say the Apple TV is a "pleasure to use," and it "worked great, and we can easily recommend it for people who are yearning for a simple way to show on their big TVs all that stuff trapped on their computers."

Walt thoughtfully points out that you don't need a Mac to use an Apple TV (XP or Vista with iTunes works fine), and that his unit performed perfectly skip- and stutter-free on his 802.11g network, even without the speed boost of 802.11n/Airport Extreme. Interestingly, Walt suggests the main competition for the Apple TV isn't a similar device from Sling, Belkin or other second-tier vendors: it's the big kahuna, the Xbox 360.

Thanks Ben!