Apple has recently been filling out its product portfolio. One of the latest items the company unveiled is the Apple TV, which is directly pitted against the Nvidia Shield TV box.

Apple unwrapped the Apple TV during an event held in San Francisco on Sept. 9. Several game outfits, such as Activision, Hipster and Harmonix, demoed their games on Apple's newest living room entertainment box. And while the Apple TV was reported to have failed to impress enthusiasts with what's under the hood, Apple has the capacity to still dominate the niche based on how much its product is outclassed in terms of technical specifications such as the CPU and graphics processor, laptops and notebook line up when compared with other outfits.

Granted how well Apple can reach out to the market, the new Apple TV can present the Nvidia Shield TV box with stiff competition. Even Matt Wuebbling, Nvidia general manager for Shield, acknowledges how well Apple can market its products. However, Wuebbling also notes that Apple's presence within the niche is a positive thing.

"We think this validates the category of the smart TV console that we pioneered," elaborated the general manager.

Note that specifications for the Nvidia Shield TV box, which is powered by a Tegra X1 chip, are much superior to that of the Apple TV, which is equipped with Apple's previous-generation processor, the A8X. Nvidia also fitted its product with GameStream, which allows any game installed on a PC to be streamed through the Shield TV box, and Nvidia Grid that allows users to play titles that the console can't handle off Nvidia severs. Of course, as one would suspect, this feature comes with a monthly fee.

The Android-based TV box comes loaded with 135 games, along with 300 more compatible ones and 57 more from the Grid servers. It also has access to more than 800 apps.

However, all these technical specifications don't matter if consumers don't get the message. Granted that the Nvidia Shield TV box is priced higher than the Apple TV, Nvidia needs to step up its marketing campaign if it does not wish to get run over by the Cupertino-based technology company.

Photo: bfishadow | Flickr