ICYMI: Toronto's deadmau5 opens iTunes Festival in London

Toronto's own deadmau5 opened up the iTunes Festival in London. The DJ-producer performed together with Friend Within + Kate Simco and the London Electronic Orchestra to kick off 30 days of concerts. Deadmaus5 is the first Canadian act to open this prestigious event.  His electrifiying performance is available for viewing trough iTunes on Macs, iOS devices as well as Apple TV. Check out this year's impressive list of artists here. Visit: www.itunes.com/festival and join the conversation: @itunesfestival using #itunesfestival. 

Apple TV iTunes Festival promo comes with $25 iTunes Gift Card

A new iTunes Festival promo for Apple TV buyers gets them a $25 iTunes Gift Card for them to purchase music from the festival performers.  So anyone who buys a new Apple TV for $109 will get a $25 gift card to splurge. 

iTunes Extras launches on Apple TV, adds bonus content to hundreds of titles

Just as we reported that Apple TV was falling behind Roku in the US, Apple's unleashed a whole gamut of content available to their puck-like streaming player. Some important information reveals how vital Apple TV really is and after generating $1billion last year, the device brings access to over 85,000 movies worldwide. More importantly, the iTunes Extras announced today will offer the latest blockbusters even before they appear on Blu-Ray or DVD, plus there are other bonues in the form of iTunes special Extras Scenes feature as well as enjoy deleted and alternate movie clips, short films, HD photo galleries; cast, crew, and character information; and other bonus material provided by the filmmakers.

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Roku adoption moves past Apple TV in the US

Roku has finally surpassed Apple TV in terms of popularity in the US. "The Evolving Market For Streaming Media Devices," by market research firm Parks Associates revealed that "44 percent of households that own at least one streaming device use a Roku," while Apple's avowed hobby, the Apple TV, accounts for "26 per cent of both sales and usage." Both the latest Roku and Apple TV sell for about the same price although there are various Roku models featuring lower prices and limited features.

While not acatually in the same league, Google's Chromecast has been making waves. Being a much cheaper (and functionally limited device) may have added to its popularity. Google and Roku sold an estimated 3.8 million streaming media devices last year, with Apple selling just over 2 million Apple TVs. 

While Apple has pushed modest updates to Apple TV in the US (more limited in Canada) and includes various new services, Roku's business model is to offer as much free content as possible as well as integrate the ability to play casual games with their wireless controller. Many believe that Apple TV is up for a redesign and a feature upgrade, perhaps in tandem with the upcoming iOS 8 release in the fall which could change the game in streaming media device market.

Source: Appleinsider