There hasn't been a whole lot of consumer interest in Apple TV since its launch back in March. That's not entirely unexpected, given the unit's flaws--it's been known for quite some time that in its current incarnation, the product isn't going anywhere. As a kind of end-of-the-year acknowledgment, CNET News posted an interesting state-of-the-union for Apple TV and for streaming TV boxes in general, with some choice analyst quotes such as this one:

"That category of devices is so nonexistent," said Ross Rubin, a retail analyst with The NPD Group, in the article. "It hasn't really evolved to the point where we've been tracking it as a category."

It's a shame because this is exactly the kind of box that needs to work for mobile TV to be viable. It would be great to have full control over your movies, TV shows, and video recordings such that you could transfer them to your phone at will. The Apple TV and iPhone combo do that, but in a very limited sense that revolves around buying episodes and movies through the iTunes Store.

http://www.news.com/8301-13579_3-9822258-37.html [CNET News]