Early-stage bugs aside, the strategy and experience executed thus far by Boxee is impressive and promising. To paraphrase Boxee founder, Avner Rosen, they intend to be the FireFox of Internet video. A way to help users find and interact with video. But tethered to the Web and computer, that doesn’t quite achieve the lean-back TV-watching user experience. Enter “Boxee Box.”
Avner’s original strategy when approaching Union Square Ventures VC Fred Wilson was a hardware play. Fred said, “dead.” Avner returned with a ubiquitous Web-only software prototype. Fred said better, now get users. Rosen returned again with 10,000 users and an impressive growth curve and finally secured funding. Then, Boxee’s app ramped up features and users even faster.
With the release of Boxee Box we can now see Boxee’s focus to build the ideal hardware/software product, a more open, versatile Apple TV, was never thwarted. They followed the necessary evolutionary steps to get there first using the Web for what it’s become: a sandbox for product prototyping and a launch pad for serious companies.
Boxee commissioned the hardware design from Astrol Studios (Xbox 360 and Nike watches), and electronic engineering from D-Link.
