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The receipt from an Apple Store in San Jose when I picked up the iPhone my boss bought me for Christmas.

• The Nines (AppleTV) *****
• Resident Evil – Extinction (AppleTV) **
• Beowulf (AppleTV) ****
• CSA: The Confederate States of America (AppleTV) ***

By far, The Nines was the best of the bunch.

Here is a list of the movies I watched in April. As you can tell, I’ve really become addicted to renting from my AppleTV.

APRIL

• Sunshine (AppleTV) ****
• 28 Weeks Later (AppleTV) ***
• Ronin (AppleTv) ****
• Skinwalkers (AppleTV) **
• Saved! (AppleTV) ****
• 30 Days of Night (AppleTV) ***
• Into the Wild (appleTV) *****
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (AppleTV) **
• May (AppleTV) ***

A year ago, Apple introduced the AppleTV. This year, the device looks like it’s headed for a major overhaul.

Next week, a corporate neighbor of mine will be trekking up 45 miles to San Francisco to make some pretty big announcements. That neighbor is Apple; the announcement is Macworld 2008, which starts in a little over a week.

It is rumored that CEO Steve jobs will announcing some new laptop computers – and possibly a re-vamp and upgrade of his company’s AppleTV product line.

Apple TV Rumors:

• The product will have a built-in Blu-Ray high definition disc player. (New York Times)
• People will be able to not only purchase, but to “rent” high-def movies by download from the iTunes store directly to the AppleTV from their HDTV set. No more need to return movies to Netflix – or worry your DVD is scratched when it arrives. (BusinessWeek)

How I would change AppleTV:

• I would make AppleTV a real TV. Look, Apple already makes some nice big monitors. And Apple already is expert at making all-in-one computer-in-monitor combos. Is it really much of a stretch for Apple to produce a big screen HDTV – and pack in the components of the Apple TV into the case? Think of it: a TV that you plug into the wall and viola – instant wireless access to your iTunes videos. No plug-in box needed.
• Yes, add that Blu-Ray player. I’d also make it be a CD/DVD burner that allowed you to store those purchased downloads for later retrieval. And I would use Apple’s DRM so you would be able to take that burned DVD to a friend’s AppleTV or Internet-connected Blu-Ray player (like a Sony PS3) and play it at their house – after entering your iTunes user name and password.
• AppleTV should have a CableCARD slot to allow you to use it as your primary cable or satellite TV decoder – to allow you to eliminate one more box from your entertainment center.
• Finally, the cable/satellite-controller AppleTV should be a full-fledged DVR with a bigger hard drive. Already, there are more AppleTVs in people’s homes than TiVos. It would make sense to take this step and make the AppleTV a fully-functional part of the entertainment center.

Then again, I usually ask for way more than I’ll ever get.