A few weeks ago, in collaboration with Squirrels (maker of AirParrot and Reflector) and Beamer, we started a contest inviting you to share with us (and the rest of the world) your vision of a perfect Apple TV – the Apple TV of your dreams. The participation was amazing (thanks!), we got tons of submissions and a lot of great ideas. Here is a short résumé:

Almost all of you think of a new Apple TV as a standalone TV set that features:

• a big, 3D, ultra HD display (Retina?)
• a built-in Kinect-like camera (FaceTime/Skype calls, gaming, face recognition)
• Siri
• App Store (yes, you want apps!!!)
• social network integration
• DVR functionality

All the above features seem to be a MUST for the future Apple HDTV.

Other ideas we liked:

• NFC
• push notifications
• multiuser personalized profiles
• gesture interaction with social media
• a full TV experience available everywhere (on the go!)
• wireless charging (in the fuuuuuture)

Interestingly, a lot of you want your TV to become… a phone.

Though these are all great ideas, we think we are still missing something here, a truly revolutionary, game-changing, killer future that could reinvent a TV and it seems that we will have to leave it to Apple to figure out what it is.

Here are some of your ideas:

Sean O’Neill

• My vision for the perfect Apple TV would require one simple interface addition: voice.  A few simple words should be all it takes to communicate with your TV, across all devices and services.
  Examples:
  “Hi TV. Change channel, CNN.”
  “Hi TV. Netflix, House of Cards. Episode 2.”
  “Hi TV. Search TV, Next Daily Show, New Episodes.”A minor hardware challenge would be including a small microphone in the remote, which would transmit voice commands to the box.An alternate approach to voice control would be to simply hold the current center button for a few seconds, which would trigger a high-gain microphone on the Apple TV itself. An animated speech waveform could be displayed on the TV to entertain the user & confirm actuation.Another interesting twist on this would be to provide multi-service search results, as Roku has done with the latest version of their Roku 3 player. e.g. “Hi TV. Iron Man 2. Anywhere.” might return a list of results on screen that list comparative pricing spanning multiple services, so users can select the best offering.

• Another “killer” feature would be Push Notifications. Users can register their favorite programs (via an Apple TV app, for instance, that could resemble a supercharged Remote app) using their Apple ID. They could then be notified about various events: when a favorite show is about to be broadcast, when a podcast they’ve subscribed to has a new episode, or when a movie they’re watching becomes available on Netflix, Amazon VOD, Vudu, etc. On acknowledging the notification, users could either select the content for immediate viewing, “Add to Queue”, or Record, depending upon the source.

G J P R Verasdonck

My Apple TV should be:

• any “computer” from which I can access the content from anywhere in the world (if I am on holidays in “Timbuktu” I do not want my screen to say that I am not authorized to view my content due to geographic restrictions)
• suitable for views on the go (e.g. iPad/iPhone) or at home (e.g. large screen)
• be “low-key interactive”: if I like the holiday program on Fiji Islands, I want to be able to look at booking options or in reverse: if i consider a holiday to the Inca ruins I want to be able to look for a travel program on the region I am interested in and see booking possibilities
• my TV should also be my phone; I like to see the people I’m talking with.

Mark Villapando

• Deals with all the premium channels for their on demand content
• Access to the NFL Network, or better yet, RedZone
• Deals with more sports networks to make pay subscription apps (to combat Internet piracy through illegal streaming sites)
• Easy ability to share viewed programs through social networks
• A VNC-like app to access the screens of computers on the network (from TV)
• Make iOS hackable again to allow programs like Plex, XBMC, or Media Player to stream local media (wishful thinking)

Alejandro Timpanaro

• A laser pointer (Wii-style)
• Google Chrome browser
• Google maps
• Access to Google Drive and other cloud services
• A download manager like Jdownloader.
• Backup config of the Apple TV in iCloud

Nicholas Chan

• Every single broadcast gets relayed to the billion-dollar data center for recording. This includes news broadcasts, morning/late night talk shows, etc. Everything gets recorded. A user with an Apple TV can then jump back in time to a specific hour to watch his/her favorite program from any channel, streaming directly from the data center. User does not have to worry about local storage. Program list can be sorted and presented in many ways. Programs can stream to iPhone/iPad/Macs. Premium channels are available to those that are paying for it currently.
• The Archive: for stuff that predates the Apple TV (stuff that didn’t get recorded at the data center), becomes available for on-demand streaming. Basically – Netflix. Score some deals Mr. Cook!
• Three ways to control the TV: 1) everyone has their phones with them, make that the remote (people would buy iPod touches dedicated for this). Very similar to the current Apple TV’s iOS remote. 2) if the phone isn’t in the room, use Siri, an obvious choice. 3) if all else fails, a multitouch display directly on a TV. Tap on screen to bring up a menu. Swipe to switch channels. Third party apps can utilize this. Apps can be educational and ask children to select things on screen, etc…(classrooms desperately need this feature available).
• Killer GPU for competition against consoles
• iSight -> direct all phone/FaceTime calls to the TV rather than your phone if your identity is detected in the room

Mike Bowen

• I’d like to see the TV have full touchscreen compatibility (you can’t play Angry Birds without a touchscreen)
• PIP of course that would support watching TV while checking apps
• Built in 4g & LTE support so you can actually make and receive phone calls from the TV set itself

Adrian Büsselmann

• I dream of gesturing from my couch to control the Apple TV. No more searching for the small controller. Apple TV could get a “Kinect” plugin to realize this
• Even a virtual keyboard can be shown on the TV and the Apple TV would see my gesture and get the right input

Eric Dykstra

• A monthly iTunes subscription (be able to watch everything on iTunes for a monthly cost; the cost would be high, $150+ per month)
• Control interface for cable and satellite (run the Cable signal through Apple TV, and change channels with ATV)

Eric Olson

• The Apple TV should be able to mirror to another apple TVs and support a “party-mode” where all apple TVs on the local network display and control the same media
• Open the “remote” IP port for 3rd party display of meta-data & control. This will make it easy to integrate an Apple TV into high & mid-range entertainment systems

Rik Moedt

• The Genius function that Apple uses to show you things you might like is going to be integrated. It will offer you playlist with things you might like to watch. In the playlist live television, on demand video and internet content can all be combined.

And the winners are:

1. Maria Panagi – for the brilliant idea of using simple gestures to interact with social media:

The Apple TV of my dreams would have highly developed gesture recognition, that would be used not only for playing games (bringing all the Wii feauteres) but the whole controlling of the TV would be based on gestures.

When it comes to social media, the gesture recognition would be highly integrated with the biggest social media platforms. On the above picture there is an example of Facbook ´Like`- the gesture of thumb-up would be recognized and would make it possible to give a like only using a gesture. Other gestures would be recognized as “share” and reading the news feed would be possible with a hand swing.

On the below picture there is an example of how the gesture control system could work with Apple TV menu. I believe that the main menu should have only 6 icons, so that it can be easily navigated with gestures (it would recognize moves: left top, right top, center top, left down, right down, center down). One hand swing would  bring another screen with the next set of 6 icons.

Prize: iPad mini

2. Cristhian Flores – for an idea of a fingerprint (on the remote)/face detection to recognize users and update the TV with their personalized profiles (channels, apps, movies, music, etc.)

Other ideas of Cristhian:

• Led notification for personal mail, Skype calls, or iMessage
• A built in mic on the touch remote to allow the user to communicate with TV without making too much noise around
• NFC chip, to allow smartphones and tablets to transfer information with a tap on the TV’s stand. When tapped to a laptop will also transfer information.
• All Corning Gorilla Glass with plasma like refresh rate 600HZ
• Has built in set-top box, way to activate is to call Apple and with their deal with Direct TV/Dish will transmit signal to the television to allow channel viewing
• Special coating on the television that activates when people (in a meeting) are trying to show their products can write on the screen with a stylus. This information is saved on the flash and can be transmitted to devices via NFC.
• Quad-core processor to allow heavy intensive applications to run, the visual would match the graphics of the Playstation 3
• 4GB RAM: allows applications to run at ease, also streaming any content while also doing iWork (multitasking.) It would allow either side-by-side or Top-bottom screen to be able to run two applications.

Prize: iPad mini

Runner-up: Leo Hellberg – for a futuristic idea of The Plug (wireless power) and professionally designed Apple-style graphic (below.)

Prize: free copies of AirParrot, Reflector and Beamer.

Big thanks to all for participation! Stay tuned for more contest and giveaways!

The contest was sponsored by Squirrels (maker of AirParrot and Reflector) and Beamer.

The post “Apple TV of your dreams” contest: winners announced! appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Rumors have been swirling for nigh on a year now about what would come to pass when Apple finally delivers its television. Not that the Apple TV is any slouch mind you, but visions of a fully integrated Apple HDTV have had experts and fanboys alike drooling. News about a possible release schedule and what could be expected of this hardware has been slow to nonexistent in recent months leaving many people filling that informational void with speculation. One particularly juicy daydream was just delivered by our friend over at The Verge and we simply had to pass it on. So here is one die-hard’s dream of the perfect Apple TV.

The goal is to explore what would be possible if the software manufacturers and the cable providers could hold hands and work together. After all, the HDTV technology today has plenty of punch behind it, but 2K or 3K resolutions wouldn’t mean a thing unless there was a way for subscription-focused live internet streaming to link without limitations to Apple’s superior content delivery system. So the Apple TV would seamlessly integrate with all of our mobile devices, while maintaining a more friendly relationship with non-apple products as well.

When it comes to hardware, it’s obvious what should go on the ‘must’ list. You’ve got to have Bluetooth and AirPlay, as well as integrated WiFi technology that passes muster. That beautiful HD quality FaceTime camera and software should make an appearance, as well as 3D technology if they can get it right (which means losing the terrible glasses, of course). Resolution should bottom out at 1080p, and outputs should include USB, Optical Audio, HDMI and Apple’s new Thunderbolt. That will allow for an expanded hard drive, though inclusion of a DVR with at least 1TB of storage should be in the conversation.

Of course, FaceTime won’t be the only iOS App to make an appearance. What would be perfect is a fullscreen App store, where you could buy and utilize many of the apps that make the iPhone, iPod and iPad so fantastic. But you would also be able to download one-click access to the various players you most frequently use (Hulu Plus, VUDU, Netflix, etc.) AND to purchase subscriptions to pay cable networks. Ideally you’d be able to pick a monthly or yearly subscription to ShowTime or AMC, while also paying for membership to HBO Go or one of the other fantastic cable streaming sites.

As with your other Apple hardware, the Apple TV would certainly utilize Spotlight for searching. But in our ideal device it would be able to search not only your library’s content, but anything available on iTunes, within an app Store, or upcoming in a TV guide listing. That way you’d immediately see any free and paid options. If Siri was integrated to help remind you of subscribed shows or TV Guide alerts, that would just be the icing on the cake.

And as far as that TV guide is concerned, the closer the resemblance to our app screen the better. All the channels could be listed vertically, with click-through descriptions. The guide would cleanly integrate with iTunes, so you could see all upcoming releases the same way. Previews would be available for all movies (as on Apple Trailers), and anything you bring to the party through an external drive would upload to the same guide and be visually cataloged.

Is all of this probable, or even possible? Who really knows. This is the Apple TV that will live in our dreams until we are given one in real life. It’s going to take Apple becoming more willing to accept non-Apple products, and the cable providers choosing the joy of the user over maximizing advertising profits. If you think it’s probably not going to happen, you can dream at least. It’s what Steve Jobs would have wanted.

The post Visions of the new Apple TV: Hardware, UI and OS Concept appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

We all know that Apple’s HDTV is set to revolutionize the TV industry, but what about the content industry? Would the idea of an Apple TV set with Siri, FaceTime, and Airplay, an iSight Camera, along with the look and feel of an Apple product not be enough for you to want to buy one? I would say yes, as would a few others, I assume. I found myself arguing with a friend about the idea that Apple could not release anything until it got its content partnerships worked out. I, personally, could not disagree more. I would think Apple would be prone to releasing a fantastic television set that revolutionizes the TV hardware/software industry and not even worry about the content right away.

Like everything else they do, they could simply release a product and let the market evolve around them. Let the products popularity drive content agreements, not wait for the market to move first and then release the product! Remember, they can always allow a coax cable to run into the back and immediately have all the content most people are use to.

Well, needless to say, my friend called me crazy. Thankfully, not 24 hours later an article came across my desk regarding Apple analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffary via the great folks over at Business Insider. It would appear that Munster, who has some knowledge in this field, says it is a simple question of “when”, not “if” this product will be released:

While many believe content will be the key differentiator for the Apple television, we expect at launch Apple may not necessarily revolutionize the content industry. Ultimately we believe that consumers and Apple want unbundled channels and more options including time shifting to watch content, but note that content owners are hesitant to change. Our take is consumers are willing to pay more for each channel as long as their overall bill goes down (i.e. pay more for fewer channels you actually want). The bottom line is that we believe in five years Apple will have a significant hand in changing how people consume content on their TV. We know the end point, unbundled channels and DVR in the cloud. However this will take time (3-5 years.), and while we believe Apple will innovate on its existing TV content offering at the launch of Apple Television, we caution that the initial offering may more closely resemble the current Apple TV content offering (Netflix, iTunes, and eventually Hulu). As mentioned, we expect at launch the interface will allow users a new way to search, interact and record cable content, which will likely give users the feeling of an improved content offering.

Gene Munster goes on to break down what he thinks Apple will do to make this product special:

“Interface. We expect the TV to include Siri and compatibility with third party devices as well as potential integration with content guides, offering consumers improved control which should lead to greater value from their monthly cable subscription. We note that cable companies could charge a fee for consumers to use Apple Televisions ($5-10/month similar to cable box rental fees). Some investors do not believe Apple will be able to gain control of cable interfaces due to advertising on the interface, but we note that the ads are typically house ads and are not significant revenue contributors.

Apps/Games. We expect Apple to ultimately enable the App Store so consumers can play games, listen to music, etc. on their Apple Television set. We believe gaming will be of particular interest given the large base of iOS game developers. We believe games could be controlled by voice, iPhone/iPad and eventually motion capture built into the display,

Design. We believe the Apple television will include many existing Apple styling cues including aluminum casing and reduction of wires. We expect the design of the TV to make it the stand-out center piece of the consumer’s living room. We expect the TV to be LCD given the high cost of OLED panels.

Finally, our friendly analyst gives his take on the specs (sizes and prices) we should expect to see when the Apple HDTV finally arrives:

We believe an Apple television could cost between $1500-2000 and is likely to be available in larger screen sizes (42-55″). The reason we are comfortable with that range is based on our thoughts of what an average Internet connected TV set up consists of (50″ Internet connected HDTV, game system, Blu Ray player, cable box, universal remote). We believe a set-up as outlined would cost around $1,650 (TV $1,200, game system $200, Blu Ray $150, universal remote $100). We note that the iPhone  typically carries about a 20% premium to other high- end smartphones, thus a 20% premium to the $1,650 set-up above would suggest a ~$2,000 TV.

So, when will we see this Apple TV set? According to Gene Munster we should expect the release to come somewhere around the first half of 2013.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for the latest updates on the rumored Apple TV set.

The post Is Apple television waiting on a content deal? We think not appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Apple’s long-rumored television set may soon become a reality, as China Business News reports that Foxconn, Apple’s Chinese manufacturing partner, has already started a pilot production of the new Apple HDTV:

Insider sources told China Business News that a Foxconn factory in Shenzhen has received orders for an Apple “smart TV” and is producing them on a trial basis.

Other Chinese publication, WantChinaTimes, quotes Lao Cha, an industry observer, who said:

The advent of the mobile internet has paved the way for digital convergence, prompting Apple, Samsung and other international brands to branch out into smart TVs. Smart TVs play a critical role in digital convergence. Cloud computing and equipment linkage will be key to the success of equipment suppliers.

According to Xie Qinyi, vice president of Greater China for DisplaySearch, a market consultancy, the Apple’s biggest challenge for Apple will be “to secure high margin in a mature TV market.”

Recently, Cult Of Mac has released some information on the Apple TV set given to them by one of their sources: their source claims to have actually seen a fully functioning version of this mystery machine. The source was quoted as saying,

It resembled an Apple monitor, only much larger.

The source also claims to have witnessed a build in iSight camera installed into the TV allowing full use of FaceTime to make free calls.

According to Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley, Apple will launch a 50-plus inch LCD-TV by the end of the year.

In an interview on Bloomberg Radio, Apple analyst Gene Munster assured that the Apple television is real („we met with some component suppliers at CES“) and said that he thinks Apple TV set „is going to be the biggest thing in consumer electronics since the smartphone came up.“  He was betting that it will be announced later this year, probably for the holiday season.

However, JP Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz claims Apple TV set is unlikely to arrive in 2012.

Back in January Globe and Mail reported that Canada’s largest telecommunications companies – Rogers and Bell – were in talks with Apple to become Canadian launch partners for its Apple HDTV. Another source said Rogers and Bell already had the product in their labs.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for the latest updates on the rumored Apple TV set.

[image: Cult of Mac]

The post Foxconn starts producing the Apple TV set appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Apple TV set featuring Siri, FaceTime, Airplay, and a build in iSight camera is more of a reality today than ever before. Though we have had many reports from anonymous insiders, today marks the first public admission of the project by someone within Apple’s product release chain. More than simply admitting the products existence, Foxconn CEO Terry Gou discussed some of the production details. According to China Daily:

Gou said Foxconn is making preparations for iTV, Apple Inc’s rumored upcoming high-definition television, although development or manufacturing has yet to begin.” Apple’s upcoming TV also “reportedly features an aluminum construction, Siri, and FaceTime video calling.

This report goes on to quote Mr. Gou as saying:

Foxconn’s recent 50-50 joint venture factory with Sharp in Japan is one of the preparations made for the new device.

Cleary, Sharp would be a great strategic partner for the production of a new line of TV’s. It is more than encouraging to hear that there is actual movement in this long rumored project. Steve Jobs has been quoted numerous times in regards to his companies “hobby project.” The folks over at TechLand shared one of these infamous quotes where mr. Jobs tells his biographer:

I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use. It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud. It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.

I think it would be fairly easy for us to assume that Jobs was referring to Siri. But we will leave room for more speculation in the months to come.

umOuch (Andrew Brasher)

The post Apple TV set confirmed by Foxconn chief appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Is Apple’s newest HDTV creation set to have Siri, FaceTime or AirPlay? Is Apple’s new TV set going to be slick, smooth, and as beautiful as its other products? According to an anonymous source, the answer is yes to all. The team of at Cult Of Mac has released some information given to them by one of their sources. It is important to note that they said:

Our source is well-placed and has provided us with great tips in the past. However, not all of them have panned out, ostensibly due to the fact that our source tends to see products in the prototype or early development stage and Apple doesn’t always ultimately choose to release them. We hope this is one of our source’s tips about an upcoming Apple product that actually sees market.

Their source claims to have actually seen a fully functioning version of this mystery machine and says that the image above is accurate. The source was quoted as saying,

It resembled an Apple monitor, only much larger.

The source also claims to have witnessed a build in iSight camera installed into the TV allowing full use of FaceTime to make free calls. As if this is not enough it is said that this camera has smart motion technology that allows it to follow you around the room… zoom… and locate your face.

Even more exciting is that these FaceTime calls were, apparently, initialized by our good friend Siri! Though we do not have more information on what functions Siri will be equipped with at the TV’s release, it would seem likely that she will be on board!

After releasing this information, Cult Of Mac reached out to TV analyst Paul Gagnon, Director of North American TV Research for NPD Display Search:

Gagnon said he didn’t have any hard information, but expects Apple to introduce a line of TVs this year. He noted that Apple’s Chinese supplier, Foxconn, has invested $1.6 billion in Sharp’s TV unit, which can efficiently make large size panels up to 60-inches. Speculating, Gagnon Apple’s TVs will likely be pretty conventional in terms of hardware. They will not be anything exotic like OLED or 4K resolution. There will likely be two to four models ranging from 40-inches to 60-inches. They will be standard 1920 x 1080p resolution and cost between $1,000 to $2,000 or slightly higher. When might they ship? “Our best guess is 2013,” Gagnon said.

According to Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley, Apple will launch a 50-plus inch LCD-TV by the end of the year. However, JP Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz claims Apple TV set is unlikely to arrive in 2012.

Source: Cult of Mac
[Mockup exclusively for Cult of Mac by Dan Draper Design]

umOuch (Andrew Brasher)

You may also want to read:
Apple seeking streaming content partners for Apple television. Hello EPIX!
Rumor: Apple working on a revolutionary, Kinect-like video game console
Yet Another Patent Hints at Apple Preparing a Standalone HDTV

The post Source unveils design and features of Apple HDTV appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.