If you're implying that Android cannot get behind the iron curtain of iOS APIs, then you are missing the gist of GP's point, which is that this device suggests that Apple could make something smaller than Apple TV. (I didn't downvote you.)
And the reason the iPad is the only tablet that sells well is also "just software". In consumer electronics, the quality of the software makes or breaks the user experience.
"you are missing the gist of GP's point, which is that this device suggests that Apple could make something smaller than Apple TV."
Agreed, I'm sure they could. However, Apple wouldn't make a dongle that sticks out of your TV, simply because it looks ugly. And given that the HDMI and USB ports are placed differently on every TV, I foresee that many users of that dongle will also have a USB extension cord dangling from their TV.
I do see a use case for this dongle in situations where you want to temporarily turn a TV into a useful device (showing content you actually want to see) in a setting where you usually don't have an extra power outlet. The French guy in the video showed this well, plugging it into a TV at a Best Buy and in a hotel room.
However, I thought of one example of an ugly Apple dongle that is meant to protrude from an Apple device: the iPad's Camera Connection Kit [1]. The reason I think Apple made an exception there is because it's meant to be attached only during the importing of photos.