Michal Ždanský There have been rumors about a TV from Apple's workshop for some time already, but a new round of rumors has stirred it up Walter Isaacson, author forthcoming biography of steve jobs, which was created on the basis of interviews with Steve Jobs and people around him. And it was Jobs who hinted at his next possible big plan – an integrated Apple TV, i.e. a television from the Apple workshop.
"He really wanted to make television what he made computers, music players and telephones: Simple, elegant devices," stated Isaacson. He goes on to quote Jobs himself: "I would like to create an integrated TV set that would be completely easy to use. It would sync seamlessly with all your devices and with iCloud. Users would no longer have to worry about complicated DVD player drivers and cables. It will have the simplest user interface imaginable. I finally figured it out”
Jobs did not comment on this topic in more detail, and so far one can only guess what his vision of an integrated Apple TV looked like. However, the TV segment seems to be the next logical step where Apple could start a minor revolution. Music players and phones have done well, and television is another hot candidate.
What could such a television actually bring? It's certain that we'd get everything that the 2nd generation Apple TV has allowed so far - access to iTunes video content, AirPlay, access to streaming video sites, and viewing photos and listening to music from iCloud. But that's just the beginning.
It can be assumed that such a television would be equipped with one of the modified Apple processors (e.g. the Apple A5 that beats in the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S), on which a modified version of iOS would run. It is iOS that is the most simple operating system that even children of several years can control. Although touch input would be missing, the television would probably be controlled by a simple controller similar to the Apple Remote, however, with minor modifications, the system could certainly be adapted accordingly.
But it wouldn't be Apple if it didn't allow the integration of its other devices, such as the iPhone or iPad. They can also serve as intuitive touch controls and can bring much more options and interactivity than a regular controller. And if Apple also allowed the installation of third-party applications, the importance of connected devices would deepen even more.
It has been talked about for some time now game console from Apple. Many attributed this title to the upcoming generation of Apple TV. However, contrary to expectations, he did not present this at the last keynote, so this question remains open. Either way, if third parties were allowed to sell their apps for the Apple TV, it could very easily become a successful gaming platform, especially thanks to the low prices of the games. After all, the iPhone and iPod touch are among the most popular portable consoles ever.
If an Apple TV were to replace the entire living room multimedia system, it would probably have to include a DVD player, or Blu-Ray, which is not exactly Apple's own. On the contrary, the trend is to get rid of optical mechanics, and with this step the company would be swimming against its own current. But it can be expected that the TV will also have enough inputs for other devices, such as Blu-Ray players. Among the inputs, we would certainly find Thunderbolt, which would make it possible to create another monitor from the TV.
The TV Safari could also be interesting, which could be a few kilometers ahead of the solutions of other manufacturers who have not yet succeeded in creating an Internet browser on a TV that can be controlled in a friendly way. Likewise, other native apps we know from iOS could take over on the big screen.
Another question is how a possible television would deal with storage. After all, iTunes and iCloud alone will not completely cover the needs of everyone who, for example, likes to download video content on the Internet. There are several options, namely an integrated disk (probably NAND flash) or perhaps the use of a wireless Time Capsule. However, unsupported video formats such as AVI or MKV would have to be handled by third-party applications, in the worst case, the hacker community would intervene, as in the case of Apple TV, where thanks to a jailbreak it is possible to install XBMC, a multimedia center that can handle almost any format .
We should expect a television from Apple in 2012. According to rumors, it should be 3 different models, which will differ in diagonal, but in my opinion, these are only wild guesses without any substantiated information. It will definitely be interesting to see what Apple comes up with next year.
Source: WashingtonPost.com
Well, if they integrated the full version of Siri into that TV……….then it would be controlled divinely and for iphone or ipad games :)
Well, this is a completely brilliant comment :) in my opinion (although I can only hope) you are completely right and it would be a brilliant and elegant solution. Basically, I see it as Siri is currently only being tested in 4Sku, and I expect the integration into the latest versions in the near future :) CHEEEM! :)
I personally think that Siri was released to the public so that the algorithm could be improved by the amount of voice commands it delivers daily. Plus, if it wasn't a problem with patents, they'll make something like the cinece from MS, but of course better ;) if you notice, Apple is slowly deploying algorithms to detect the shape and other little things that would add value to the TV. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Apple happen to buy some company that does exactly this?
if apple only wanted television + apple TV, it would have done it a long time ago. indeed, many questions in the article indicate that Jobs was dealing with this on a deeper level, and if he "cracked" it, it could be something very interesting.
in any case, yes, a domestic media center is a complicated thing, and I believe that's why Jobs didn't go into it head on. mainly the interface. if the trend is touch control, the TV is still two steps behind the PC. one has to make do with an impractical controller. in the case of a simple aTV it is okay, but in the case of browsing and gaming it would be a disaster.
my personal guess is that they could beat the ipod touch in basically everything except the interface. such a device would provide excellent touch control and be simple and cheap enough to be bundled with the TV. also, it would unify the experience if people simply turned their iPhone and iPad into controllers. but it would definitely not be some kind of remote touchpad (which Apple already has), but a hybrid of touch and mediated control. ie, it would be controlled like iOS, without the cursor. control would be interactive, e.g. if a person enters the "xy" menu, where he can only work with multitouch gestures (right, left between programs, up, down between applications, pinch menu), he will see "feelers" on the control.
as for blu ray: i see it 50/50. maybe apple will offer two versions and maybe they will give up on it and say that you can buy a superdrive, the price of which will be marginal compared to the TV
something like Google TV?
Jozef, that was too cruel of you...
Michal: the disadvantage of touch control is that a person does not have control over the controller without looking at it, that is, he cannot just lie down on the couch and comfortably place his hand on the controller and switch. Another disadvantage would be the durability and resistance of such a controller. One would have to charge it every day, if you forget to charge it, you won't be able to use it the next day. Although not often, here and there it happens that the controller falls to the ground, a person touches it, touches it, etc. The idea of a touch interactive controller is nice, but it has many shortcomings, which I probably won't be able to remove just like that
If the new TV from Apple looked just like the first picture, I wouldn't hesitate for a second :-)