What the new Apple TV is really missing...

I was watching the Apple launch event the other day and I must say I was a bit disappointed.
Don’t get me wrong the device is small and slick and the 99$ puts it in the right price range to compete with other streamers in the market.
The problem is, that besides connecting to iTunes, the Apple TV its not much different than the rest of the bunch.
Apple isn’t taking advantage of its platform strengths the same way its doing with its other devices…

Why isn’t the Apple TV Social?

Apple just launched its own social network Ping. Why isn’t Ping data featured on the Apple TV?
I’d like see what my friends watched, get recommendations and share stuff I Like.

Where are the Apps?!

The iPhone, iPod and iPad are thriving on a vibrant Apps market. Why can’t the Apple TV do the same?
I was really expecting an iOS driven device where developers could enhance the Apple TV capabilities by providing apps specifically designed to be run on TV set with limited controls.

You could browse social networks (Facebook, Twitter etc.), or watch stock market information, or browse content from your favorite feeds and content providers (imagine something like the iPad’s Flipboard your big LCD TV), or cook with your TV’s help (imagine Jamie Oliver’s iPhone app on the big screen) or get apps from content providers (like local news channels for example) that’ll be able to stream their own content…
There’s tons of stuff developers could do with the Apple TV if given the option.

Apple could have really taken the streamers to a whole new level with this…

In short, I wish Apple TV would be more like Boxee