“a source very close to Apple” suggest that Apple has been working on the next version of the Apple TV. The goods according to them: it will be a very small box (smaller than the current one) with perhaps only outputs for power and TV-out cables. It will run on Apple’s new A4 chip (the one found in the iPad and soon the new iPhone).. It will still do 1080p video, but may have as little as 16GB of flash memory. That’s because the thing will be based around streaming over the cloud (or from other computers in your home) rather than local storage. Most significantly, it will run the iPhone OS.

Basically, it’s an “iPhone without a screen,” is how Engadget hears it. Oh — and it will cost only $99, supposedly.

Looks likely that next week Apple will announce a new Apple TV - basically iPhone to drive our TV. War between Google and Apple will drive huge innovation.

So what then if your business is Conventional Appointment TV?

My bet is that within 2 years, Appointment TV will be over.

So what to do? Maybe first of all to understand this. For Public TV it means a Moon Shot Planning Process to get ready. Single stations cannot cope alone with this. Maybe it does not need all at the table but enough to build a new approach.

Content alone will not be enough either. Solving what truly is Public Service Media now becomes a compelling issue. How to be vital to your local community has to be more than being an online content supplier.

The crunch is in sight.