By now, PVR functionality is pretty generic, TiVo's suit against Echostar notwithstanding. However, the strength of both TiVo and Apple has been in their interfaces, and a head-to-head competition would be intriguing.

Note that the patent doesn't necessarily mean Apple will productize this technology; on the other hand, the touchscreen patent Apple applied for in 2006 eventually was used in the iPod Touch.