A new Apple TV set-top box is set to arrive this summer at Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference, according to a new report citing sources familiar with the situation.
The upgrade would represent a much-needed “significant overhaul” of the device, letting it go far beyond Apple’s current TV offering and crossing over into other areas such as music, apps and even home automation — with a nifty Siri-based interface, to boot.
BuzzFeed News says the big Apple TV refresh will be based on Apple’s A8 system-on-chip, will boast a significant upgrade on the 8GB of storage in the current Apple TV box, and will feature a revamped operating system, placing Siri front row and center.
The idea of using Siri as, essentially, Apple’s new “digital hub” is something the company has previously hinted at in patents. In late 2013, Apple filed a patent for a “smart dock” that promised to greatly extend the range and capabilities of Siri into areas like personal DJ, portable gaming device controller and overseer of home-automation tech.
The patent claimed the smart dock will listen for commands at all times — saving you the inconvenience of having to physically touch your iDevice — and can be fine-tuned to listen only for specific voices, so that having guests around, or the radio on in the background, wouldn’t send it into a crazy tailspin.
BuzzFeed News also thinks Apple will use WWDC to release an SDK to allow developers to create apps specifically for the new Apple TV. The latest info comes shortly after a plethora of reports suggesting Apple will finally get its TV subscription service off the ground this year, offering around 25 channels, including Fox, ABC, CBS and more.
As a sweetener to entice additional partners, Apple will reportedly offer networks complete access to viewer data, such as what shows they watch and when they watch them — despite the fact that this would seemingly violate Apple’s strict stance on user privacy.
Having spent the past few years dissing the current television experience — with Tim Cook telling Charlie Rose last year that it is “stuck back in the ’70s” — it seems that 2015 is set to be the year where Apple finally shows everyone else where they were going wrong.
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
15 responses to “Siri and App Store will make Apple TV a game-changer”
A8 and Siri, with some storage for apps. That’s what everyone expects. But what if the reason for the delay was the Apple Watch? What if the new Apple TV would also allow for games that works with motion, similar to the Wii, but using the Apple Watch full of sensors on your arm? Now we’re talking.
That’s where they would go wrong because what appeals the most about sensor technology is the freedom of having to wear some device in order for the Kinect technology to recognize you.
You mean copy android tv and chromecast?
The tech is important but what we need is a menu of channels so we only pay for the channels we want to watch. Cable TV has needed that for years.
Well, we should be happy its even this good. Hell, I didn’t expect the the Networks to do any deals for another five years, or so. And opening up the App Store will bring a whole new world of possibilities.
Oh, and global search!
This will definitely be a game changer. iOS apps on AppleTV. That is wonderful. At last I’ll be able to use PLEX on AppleTV. I hope they have a nice and fast interface. This box could definitely give them an advantage over Amazon and Roku’s streaming boxes if they can also allow people to watch only the few channels they want to watch.
Wireless HD Audio streaming, please.
I’m also interested in what graphics processor they will use. Imagination (the company Apple always uses for graphics in IOS) has a graphics processor called the PowerVR GT7900 which is more powerful than the frekin Xbox One. If they use this processor, and open the App Store, were talking about a true nonsense current generation game console. For comparisons sake the Xbox One runs at 1.2 TFLOPs, and the 7900 runs at…wait for it… 1.6 frekin TFLOPs. This would be insane.
With other hardware devices such as the QNAP NAS supporting 4k outputs, I sure hope Apple include 4k in this.
This sounds cool (& interesting). Also sounds a bit like another device I have in my Home already: Amazon Echo.
I have the Echo too – and it’s incredibly limited at the moment. Apple has a chance to blow it out of the water. Amazon had better bring their A game… and quick.
Or, to put it another way, they’re playing catch-up with Google’s Android TV & Amazon’s Fire TV… Don’t get me wrong, an upgraded Apple TV running a fuller version of iOS will indeed be a *very* nifty little device; but it would be an outright lie & the height of self-deceit to call & believe it to be “revolutionary” or similar…
Has anyone seen the YouTube for kids app? That features voice search. The amazing thing is that it detects your accent, and shows you video based on that. My four year old is multilingual, so he doesn’t have the accent down yet. He asks for peppa pig in English and occasionally gets it in Spanish :) Mostly he watches on the tablet, if he really likes it he throws it up to the Chromecast, though he has yet to work out how to get it back. Still, early days :)
Will be interesting to see what Apple bring to the party.
Finally. Anyone wants my current box?? Lol <3