Apple introduces iTV

As expected, Steve Jobs this morning introduced a book-sized device that can be attached to a television and receive programs from a home computer. Not just any programs - downloadable movies and TV shows. The iTV will be available in the first quarter of 2007 and sell for $299. The studios will be watching this one closely; they're all involved in downloadable services of one kind or another, but up to now all the offerings have had to be seen on a computer, which nobody really wants to do. Getting downloads delivered into a TV could be another story - the first real competition for Netflix, Blockbuster and cable's video-on-demand. We'll see.