The second-generation Apple TV that Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced back in September has finally hit the shelves here in Japan. Despite the fact that it looks like little more than a hockey puck, the new digital-media receiver from the folks at Cupertino should satisfy users who consume most of their entertainment online.
And while a recent Nielson study found that American viewers are seemingly not ready to "cut the cord" (i.e. make the transition from cable TV to online services like Netflix, Hulu, and Apple's iTunes store), it's possible that Japan might be an easier sell for Apple.
Of course, first there needs to be content, so this past week Apple announced that more than 1,000 movies are now available via the iTunes store in Japan, ranging from international film companies 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Warner Brothers and Universal, to top Japanese studios Fuji TV, Toei, Kadakowa Pictures, and others.