Kudos to iLounge for not automatically hopping aboard the Apple TV hype express. They’ve complied a list of 10 reasons why you might consider holding off on your purchase for the time being. That’s not to say that it’s a useless hunk of plastic, but by no means is it infallible.
For starters, if you’ve already got a video iPod and a video out cable, you’ve pretty much got an Apple TV already. Sure, you can’t wirelessly transfer your stuff to your TV, but it’s not like an iPod is all that hard to bring from your computer to your TV. Speaking of TV, unless you own an HDTV (well, technically, at least a 480p widescreen TV), you can’t even use Apple TV.
What about iTunes? If you don’t buy any movies from the iTunes Store (I sure don’t), Apple TV’s utility dramatically decreases. Plus, the thing’s expensive: $300 to stream media? I was doing that back in high school with my hacked Xbox and XBMC and it certainly didn’t cost that much.
I strongly recommend checking out iLounge’s little exposé. Bottom line: think long and hard to determine if the Apple TV fits your needs right now.