Apple TV+ - page 122

Netflix was a big part of the new Apple TV presentation today, and almost like an afterthought, the streaming video king has an announcement of its own: Netflix is getting enhanced integration with iTunes and the Apple TV.

Naturally, the biggest upgrade to Netflix on Apple TV is support for 1080p video an Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, but Netflix has also announced that users will now be able to sign up for Netflix directly on the Apple TV and even pay using their iTunes account.

That’s a big coup, but it also implies Netflix is giving Apple a 30% cut of every sign-up. Given how many studios are fleeing them lately, seems to me like Netflix could use all the money it can get.

Well, eager readers, we’re just a couple short hours away from Apple’s iPad 3 event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, and while nothing’s ever certain up until the moment Phil Schiller announces it, we’ve got a pretty good idea of what’s coming.

The question is: do you care? Are you excited about a new iPad 3, or a new Apple TV, or even a budget iPad 2? Or is your old iPad still working just fine, or do you think this is a bunch of hype all together?

Let us know in our poll, then join us in the comments to tell us what you think Apple will announce and what you’re most excited about. We’ve got to kill time before the announcement somehow!

Hey, what do you know. The Apple Store just went down. Probably just routine maintenance, don’t you think? It’s not like Apple’s going to announce a new iPad or Apple TV today or anything, LOL.

Apple has officially confirmed that an iPad event is set to take place today, Wednesday, March 7th, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California. “We have something you really want to see. And touch,” teases the press invitation.

Months and months of rampant speculation and conspiracy stories have built up to next week’s event, and no one really knows what Apple has planned, other than a new iPad. The Retina display is widely expected to make its way to Apple’s tablet. Will it even be called the iPad 3? Will it be offered at a new price point? Let’s take a look at the rumors and examine what we think we know.

While some reports have claimed that Apple’s new iPad will get a small price increase today, the new 1080p Apple TV is expected to maintain the same $99 price tag.

Stock of the Apple TV has been quickly dwindling across Apple retail stores in the U.S. in recent months, fueling speculation that the device will soon be replaced by a new model with the “J33” codename that recently popped up in the company’s iOS 5.1 beta software.

One report claims that 98% of Apple retail stores in the U.S. now have no Apple TV stock at all.

We’ve heard whispers of Apple launching a streaming video service in the iTunes Store before, and now a new report from The New York Post claims that the company is “pushing ahead” to get such a service off the ground by Christmas.

According to the report, Apple “point man” Eddy Cue has been in talks with leading content providers to negotiate distribution deals for what will presumably pave the way for the mystical iTV.

Apple’s stock price has soared to astronomical heights over the last 18 months. Yesterday Apple stock closed at another record high and the company become more valuable than the GDP of Poland. But how high can Apple’s stock keep climbing? Well according to Apple’s co-Founder, Steve Wozniak, Apple stock will continue to soar for quite sometime.

Following earlier reports that Apple is constraining retail supplies of the current Apple TV ahead of an imminent refresh, more evidence has surfaced that Apple is ramping up to launch a new set-top box.

Prominent retailers have seen inventory for the current Apple TV dwindle over the last few weeks.

9to5Mac reports that one of their most trusted sources has revealed Apple will launch a new Apple TV in March alongside the iPad 3. Rumors have claimed Apple would be releasing two major new products in March and it appears that a new Apple TV and iPad 3 will be the two products in question.

Although Android has an overall lead over iOS in smartphone marketshare, there are IT departments that remain hesitant on the platform. Unlike the iPad and iPhone, which are beginning to be seen to be as business tools rather than consumer-oriented entertainment devices, most Android phones have yet to prove that they offer a business feature that can’t be found on other platforms. Samsung’s newly announced Galaxy Beam smartphone may be the first Android phone to solidly offer something powerful and unique for business users.

The Galaxy Beam is Samsung’s new handset that includes a 15-lumen pico projector. Although Samsung’s press release for the phone offering a lot of personal entertainment uses, this is a device that has clear business potential.

Let’s face it, RIM has been suffering from a serious personality conflict. The company is trying to cling to its enterprise business while also making its brand more attractive as a consumer alternative to iOS and Android.

Nowhere has this been more obvious than in the company’s PlayBook tablet. RIM initially pitched the PlayBook as being all about consuming content like movies and other media. At the same time, RIM was also trying to sell it as a business device when paired with a BlackBerry even though it lacked core enterprise apps (including email) that could run on the device when it wasn’t tethered to a BlackBerry – a fact that led to RIM hyping the PlayBook’s email app (introduced this week in PlayBook OS 2) as an exciting new feature.

RIM may be caught in this consumer/business identity struggle, but Netflix made it clear today that it doesn’t see RIM as a consumer company – or at least not as a viable one.

One of the features that immediately caught my eye about Mountain Lion was AirPlay Mirroring. As I noted yesterday, this offers a powerful presentation tool for business users as well as a great classroom addition for teachers and trainers.

Of course, it’s also a great entertainment solution and one that has some dramatic advantages over AirPlay Mirroring on the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. Those advantages are likely to set the stage for a showdown between Apple and the entertainment industry.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAEH1H-4Siw

Following our handy video roundup of new OS X Mountain Lion features, InsanelyGreatMac has published a video walkthrough of AirPlay, which allows you to mirror your Mac’s display on a television hooked up to the Apple TV.

As you can see, the feature works in much the same way as AirPlay on an iOS device, sending both video and audio from your Mac to your TV over a wireless network.

Nowbox is a slick iPad app that allows you to waste spend many hours watching YouTube.

Nowbox was co-founded by Thomas Pun, who worked at Apple for six years, including stints as technical manager for the team responsible for the H.264 encoder technologies that shipped with QuickTime 7 and on the first video iPod.

AirPlay Mirroring is one of the iOS features that Apple is bringing to the Mac in Mountain Lion. It’s a feature that offers a lot of potential for mobile professionals and educators in addition to being a great supplement to a family’s living room.

AirPlay Mirroring works the second generation Apple TV. The Apple TV itself as a small and easy to carry device that can plug into any HDTV or modern projector. That simple setup combined with a Mac running Mountain Lion makes for a perfect portable presentation solution.

After having its tablet banned in one Chinese city today for using the iPad name without permission, Apple could be about to enter into another dispute if it names its television set the “iTV.” Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster ITV has warned Apple not to use its name for the second time.

With Apple expected to announce the iPad 3 during the first week of March, rumors regarding the upcoming tablet have reached a fever pitch. Little attention has been given to the Apple TV, besides the occasional ‘iTV’ rumor and pundit speculation.

Supply shortages across several key retailers suggest that Apple’s set-top box will be seeing a significant update within the next few weeks.

Apple has announced that it will support Paul McCartney’s new album, Kisses on the Bottom, by live streaming a special concert to fans on Thursday, February 9. You can tune in using iTunes on your Mac or PC, or on your television via your Apple TV set-top box.

Oh, sure. The idea of being able to reach out from across the room and dramatically direct your mighty will to zap stuff on, off, up, down, or cause the very Air to shimmer with Play is intoxicating — that is, until those nine remotes you’ve been using to control all your magical devices become horribly unruly; perhaps they no longer bow to your commands, or maybe they’re off chasing hobbits under a couch somewhere. Whatever the reason, it’s time to harness the VooMote Zapper ($70), and make them all submit to your will!

(WARNING: Tossing the Zapper into a giant pit of lava under a mountain is not advised and will undoubtedly void the warranty, ‘mkay?)

A rumored Apple television set has received just as much — if not more — attention than the company’s upcoming iPhone 5 in recent months, but the questions we’ve all been asking about its specifications have been answered… by Best Buy.

The retailer has been issuing surveys to its customers to obtain feedback on potential new products and services, but many were surprised to find details on a 42-inch “Apple HDTV,” which will apparently be available for $1,499.

Please don’t look at the following images on a full stomach:

Apple has released a software update for the Apple TV that brings Genius recommendations for movies and TV shows to the set-top box. The service works like Netflix’s recommendations to give you suggested titles based on your previous purchases.

Earlier this week, we heard a report from iTV obsessive Gene Munster that Apple was looking to buy up HDTV panels to launch their long-rumored connected television set by the end of 2012. But according to a new report from the sometimes-accidentally-reliable Digitimes, when Apple came knocking for display panels, the big boys all said ‘no.’

There are a couple of solutions on the market that combine simple hardware with an iOS app to take control of your entertainment system, but Peel is probably the coolest and most easy to use solution that we’ve played with. Peel invisibly controls your entire entertainment system — TV, cable box, Blu-ray player, AV receiver, Apple TV, and more — without the extra hassles of plugging stuff into your phone and dealing with network passwords. Normally the Peel system retails for $99, but for the next 3 days you can pick one up from Fab.com for only $45.