Apple’s original TV show efforts haven’t exactly set the world on fire, but that didn’t stop the company from being honored with an Emmy award this week.
Apple was among the tech companies who received technical Emmy awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, alongside Microsoft, YouTube, and others.
Apple’s award relates to its “Contextual Voice Navigation for Discovering and Interacting with TV Content,” referring to the use of Siri to find TV shows on Apple TV. Comcast, Universal Electronics, and Nuance Dragon TV received awards for the same thing.
“The Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards has always recognized the talented and innovative leaders and companies that have made the incredible world of television possible,” said Bob Mauro, President of NATAS.
Not Apple’s first Emmy rodeo
This isn’t the first time Apple has been honored with an Emmy. The company won its first technical Emmy in 2001 for its role in developing FireWire, the high-speed serial port that allows users to transfer data quickly between their Macintosh and another device, such as a digital camera.
More recently, it won an Emmy for “Most Outstanding Commercial of the Year” in 2014 for its “Misunderstood” iPhone 5s ad, which depicted a silent teenager who won’t spend time with his family at Christmas because he’s too busy with his iPhone. At the end of the ad, he reveals that he’s been using his iPhone and iMovie to shoot and edit a heartwarming family montage.
Siri was first introduced for navigation on Apple TV with the fourth-gen model introduced in 2015. Apple is set to announce a new Apple TV upgrade later this year, most likely at next month’s iPhone 8 event.
Apple is reportedly going to introduce 4K viewing with the device, and is currently working hard to broker Hollywood deals to add premium 4K movies to the iTunes library.
