Like many I was eagerly awaiting the updates to the Apple TV that were announced at Macworld last month. I have been a happy user of the Apple TV since last February after purchasing it when it was first made available online.

Most of the reviews you read about the initial launch of the Apple TV and the subsequent year are pretty negative. Most say that it is a pretty cool device but lacking a lot of functionality.

I have always disagreed with this, thinking that the Apple TV was a great conduit from the computer to the TV. I just wish it was easier and faster to re-encode content for it. But that being said, once you figure out your workflow, that is not such a big deal any more.

My gripes with the software revision announced this year for the Apple TV, otherwise known as Take 2, begin with the menu system. How plain it is now. I for one, liked the "front Row" inspired menu of take 1.

My second gripe is with the flickr integration. You have to add each individual flickr user's stream to the Apple TV rather than just having access to all of your contacts etc. Other than that, I like some of the new functionality. Don't get me wrong, having access to flickr is pretty cool, but it would be neat if my screen saver could be my entire list of contacts photos, not just one that I have to choose.