I've always agreed with the idea of a PC being the center of a multimedia system in the home, and Microsoft has long backed that notion too. Apple, however, remained a little sceptical, claiming that the idea was flawed, and that people simply don't interact with a TV the same way they do with a computer. The company now seems to have gone back on that stance, with the release of an all-in-one iMac G5 computer with a remote control and a program that shares many of the features of Microsoft's Media Center operating system.
The program, called Front Row, lets you listen to music, watch videos, play DVDs and display photos from a distance with a few clicks of a lighter-sized, six-button remote control.
Its graphically pleasing interface takes over the screen and can be easily viewed from afar.
Things look a little basic at this stage, but one can certainly imagine a time, several releases along, where this software is beating Microsoft's media offerings hands down.