In what is probably a minor case of wishful thinking, InformationWeek is reporting that ThinkEquity Partners financial analyst Jonathan Hoopes "foresees some 25% to 70% of the 22 million Mac users, and many more PC users, buying the device in the next five years."

That's a lot of customers -- enough to surpass current 8.8 million Netflix and 4.4 million TiVo subscriber totals.

"As a digital media content delivery vehicle positioned in users' living rooms," Hoopes said in a report, "we think the AppleTV/iTunes combination could become as disruptive to legacy video purchase-and-consumption behavior as the iPod/iTunes combination has been to the traditional music business model."

We're all in favor of this, though we think prices would have to come down slightly. As it stands, you're paying two bucks each for individual shows you can watch for free on regular TV. That can add up quickly, unlike the flat monthly fees you'd pay for Netflix or TiVo subscriptions.

Nevertheless, we imagine it could be fun to move content between an Apple TV, the upcoming iPhone, and your desktop or laptop computer.

Apple TV Projected To Surpass TiVo And Netflix [InformationWeek]