Apple TV is finally on sale and on the boat. So, why bother? Here's why Apple TV will change the world, slightly.

1. It's currently the only easy way to get stuff locked away in iTunes streaming to a TV set. Bam. Simple as that.

2. It's sexy. It just looks nice. Networkable media-slurping boxes can look rather industrial, but this sleek slab of brushed metal will be good for everyone who isn't a rackmount nerd or Apple-averse.

3. It goes spiffingly with the Mac Mini, using the same a similar form factor at half-brick height. You can use the Mini as the server, turning the duo into a fully-featured high-def PVR, streaming media system, WebTV box and game console.

4. There's not a lot of high-profile, branded competition. This is more a kind of analysty point, but if the time is ripe for the mass-market for these things to wake up, Apple's managed to wedge its way into a sunny spot without too much in the way of rivals.

5. Everyone else has finally, belatedly, decided it's hot. This might seem like a stupid reason. Maybe Not. If it repeats the success of iTunes, it'll become the standard, and sometimes, that's the direction of least annoyance. Remember, this is supposed to be an appliance, not an application. Most of us want it to be a near-invisible interface between us and our media, not a science project.

Ready to buy? Think again. Here's five reasons why it won't change much of anything.

1. It's $300. Damn. And no free cables!

2. If you don't use iTunes-DRMed media, it offers nothing new. There's no reason to bother if you have something similar and your movies and such are not gotten via Apple.

3. It doesn't do much. Even though it's a capable computer in itself, it's all in the service of functionality that's designed in, instead of being emergent from its hardware capabilities. Yeah, that's just the way it works with modern appliances, but if it has a Pentium M CPU, 256 MB RAM, a 40GB hard drive, why no PVR? Why such limited features?

4. This is really just 3b: With all that grunt, it's basically a Mac Mini Mini with lots of outputs and special software. Why can't I just slap OS X or Windows or Linux on it and use it as a kids' computer, the heart of a MAME cabinet, a Car PC, or something a little more fully-featured? Let me in. (We may get in real easy, of course, but that's for the hackers to discover.)

5. Won't work with other DRM systems. Goes without saying, but say it I must. It's our fault for using DRM, of course. Then again, DRM is the top reason for having to buy this expensive baby.

Hackability is what it comes down to for me. I want it to be a success, so that lots of people dick around inside it, and I want to get into it for use as an ultra-tiny computer. Don't laugh: if Debian can be stuffed in a $75 hard drive ethernet adapter, it can be stuffed in this.

Previously: Quicktime HD Export for Apple TV, Original Announcement, Wired at MacWorld.