Apple announced today that sales of Apple TV are expected to top 1 million units this week. The significantly smaller, significantly less expensive Apple TV was introduced at Apple's annual iPod and iTunes event in September and released around the end of that month. With a focus on rental rather than purchase, streaming rather than sync, Hollywood rather than "amateur hour" and Netflix as well as iTunes, Apple's PR on the subject provides some interesting stats but strangely, no quotes from Apple execs:

iTunes users are now renting and purchasing over 400,000 TV episodes and over 150,000 movies per day.

While it took longer than iPhone 4 or iPad to reach the 1 million mark, is this any indication Apple TV might be poised to move beyond "hobby" status? Or will that still take Hulu, HBO, and major league sports deals?

[Apple PR]