The new Apple TV has been opened up to reveal the same old 8GB of storage, along with 512MB RAM — double that of the previous generation Apple TV. XBMC forum member aicjofs got bored one day and decided to rip open his own Apple TV to see what was inside — a nerd after our own hearts.
As expected, third-gen Apple TV pre-orders have started arriving early in the mail. The set-top box includes 1080p HD video support and a faster processor. It comes with an updated interface and sells for $99.
Shipping estimates in Apple’s online store for the new Apple TV have slipped past tomorrow’s launch date, but those who were lucky enough to pre-order before stock sold out should be getting their device in the mail either today or tomorrow. We’ve got an unboxing for you to check out.
On first sight, the Yaro digital audio system looks unpromising. It’s an amplifier/speaker set from Kanto AV Systems that’s small, black and looks like something Spinal Tap might use on a farewell tour.
But it turned out to be about the loudest, most responsive, richest, most faithful sound-media player I’ve heard.
With all the attention deservedly going to the new iPad, it can be easy to forget that Apple also launched a third-gen Apple TV set-top box at its March 7th media event. The little hockey puck included 1080p HD video support and a faster processor, but that’s basically it. Not much has changed since the last Apple TV.
Apple has given early review units of the new Apple TV to certain publications to review. Here’s what they have to say:
The Apple TV isn’t positioned as a business or enterprise product, but its small size, easy setup, and AirPlay make it a very solid presentation tool – and the low cost doesn’t hurt, either.
While the Apple TV has the obvious advantage of being wireless and integrated with other Apple products, specific business advantages beyond its small form factor and the ubiquity of HDTVs and other HDMI-enabled display devices like projectors aren’t always immediately obvious (though those are pretty big advantages in their own right) – but at least one company is designing its business solutions around Apple’s so-called hobby device.
Business Intelligence developer MicroStrategy has taken the Apple TV/iOS combination to a new level by building its mobile apps around AirPlay and the Apple TV.
In their rush to announce the new iPad on Wednesday, Apple hurried through the details of their new Apple TV and didn’t talk much about the new ability to stream your movies straight from iCloud to your Apple TV or iOS device. What’s awesome about the new feature is that it works for movies that you didn’t even buy from iTunes: iTunes Digital Copies.
Does the idea of an Apple TV with Siri functionality make the insides of your toes tingle with excitement? We’re there with you, and we totally want to know what it would be like to have Siri in our living room whispering us sweet nothings. Apple didn’t announce a new iTV with Siri functionality yesterday, so we’ll have to wait a little while longer to see what the future holds, but to hold us over till that day comes, Tripp and Tyler made a new video to show us what a Siri TV would be like.
It is absolutely breathtaking.
Tim Cook kind of rushed past the Apple TV update yesterday. On the surface of things, not much changed: 1080p was the only real new feature, as the new iOS-like interface and Netflix sign-up are also available on older Apple TVs via update. But under the hood, the little black box is powered by a custom single-core A5 chip.
Disappointing news for those of you that haven’t pre-ordered a third-generation Apple TV already: the shipping estimate just fell to 1-2 weeks instead of guaranteed delivery to your doorstep on Friday, March 16th.
The new Apple TV set-top box streams 1080p HD video and features a revamped user interface. Tim Cook wasn’t kidding when he said we should all pre-order the thing as soon as possible during today’s keynote.
In the slew of software updates Apple has released today, version 5.0 for the Apple TV brings the new user interface that was demoed during today’s keynote. The new icon-based interface harkens to the feel of iOS with “channel” hubs for content providers like Netflix and MLB.com.
5 app-like icons are displayed for each row under the interface’s top marquee. Apple’s cloud-based iTunes Match service can be used to access your music library on the Apple TV, and iTunes Home Sharing can be used to access libraries locally stored on your network. You also have direct access to Netflix, MLB, NBA, NHL, Apple’s own Trailers app, Wall Street Journal Live, YouTube, Vimeo, iTunes Podcasts, Internet Radio, Photo Stream, and Flickr.
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.