Till a couple of days back, finding Apple TV‘s product page on Apple.com was a bit difficult thanks to its mysterious location in the Accessories section for iPods. Generally I used to resort on Google to find it rather than taking the pain in browsing through the website. However, that shouldn’t be a problem from now on, as Apple TV has been promoted to occupy one of the tabs besides Mac, iPhone, iPod and iPad at the Apple online store. In addition, Apple TV now has its own pages for accessories, community and refurbishes.

So why would that be – Apple graduating one of their devices from a mere ‘hobby accessory‘ to a ‘new product line‘ after seven years of initial release?

A lot of reports on the next Apple TV has been circulating lately. According to one of them, Apple TV 4 will be a complete revamp of the device, at least software wise. The new firmware will be iOS-based and will come with an in-built Apple TV App Store. This would open the doors of HDTV to third-party apps and games. A Bluetooth controller is also said to be in the works.

Now, the guys at 9to5mac have received new information on Apple TV 4 from a reliable source.

These claim that the next generation of Apple TV will come with integrated Airport Express components, i.e. they will have a router welded into the core. This makes a lot of sense, especially for those who connect the Apple TV via Ethernet, because they will no longer need another router for iTunes Home Sharing. Also Airplay Mirroring will be more stable and of better quality since the intermediary modem is eliminated.

Another report suggests that the games on Apple TV will be seamlessly linked to other iOS devices. Apple TV 4 games are expected to utilize the iDevice themselves as the controller. MFi controllers could be used as well. Maybe one more app will join the App Store under the Apps by Apple category – Apple TV Joystick?

And the last rumor claims that the Apple TV 4 will come with a TV tuner card for use with your existing cable subscription. This will again simplify the process of enjoying video content since you can use the same set-top box for online streaming as well as for cable channels.

The launch of Apple TV 4 seems imminent as the speculations are piling up. If  all the above rumors turn out to be true, we’re looking at a major deviation in the Apple TV lineup and we think it’s apt that the small black box has rose from being a simple accessory to a mainstream iOS device.

You might also want to read: Where is Apple taking TV in 2014?

The post New rumors on Apple TV 4 surface as Apple TV gains special profile at Apple official website appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Apple has just updated the second and third-generation Apple TV software to version 5.1 (build 10A406e). The biggest changes include support for Shared Photo Streams, the ability to switch between iTunes accounts and to send audio content from Apple TV to AirPlay-enabled speakers and devices. Apple TV 2 jailbreakers: as always – stay away from this update for now if you don’t want to lose your jailbreak.

Apple TV hacker and developer nitoTV tweeted that he doesn’t recommend updating to 5.1:

If you own an Apple TV 3, you’re obviously not going to lose any jailbreak updating to 5.1, however the upcoming Apple TV 3 jailbreak may only support 5.0 (5.0.1, 5.0.2) firmware.

If you still think like updating to 5.1, here are the direct download links:
AppleTV2,1_5.1_10A406e_Restore.ipsw
AppleTV3,1_5.1_10A406e_Restore.ipsw

And here is the full list of new features in Apple TV 5.1:

• Shared Photo Streams — Accept invitations for Shared Photo Streams, browse photos and comments, and receive notifications of new content.
• AirPlay — Send audio content from Apple TV to AirPlay-enabled speakers and devices (including AirPort Express and other Apple TVs). Also includes the ability to require an onscreen code to use AirPlay with your Apple TV.
• iTunes account switching — Save multiple iTunes accounts and switch quickly between them.
• Trailers — Search movie trailers. In the United States, see show times for local theaters.
• Screen savers — New Cascade, Shrinking Tiles, and Sliding Panels screen savers.
• Main menu— Reorder icons on the second page by holding down the select button on the remote.
• Subtitles — SDH support for the deaf and hard-of-hearing as well as improvements to viewing and selecting subtitles.
• Network configuration — Support for setting up advanced network options using configuration profiles.
• Stability and performance — Includes general performance and stability improvements.

[image: iLounge]

The post Apple TV software update 5.1 (iOS 6) released for Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3 appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

During today’s conference at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, along with a brand new iPhone 5, Apple introduced a fifth generation iPod touch that now supports AirPlay Mirroring that lets you wirelessly stream what’s on your iPod touch to your HDTV and speakers via Apple TV. This makes a new generation iPod touch a fifth Apple’s device that supports AirPlay Mirrorng: up until now the feature has been available on iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and iPad 3. It will also be supported on the iPhone 5.

The new iPod touch is the thinnest iPod touch ever and features a 4-inch Retina display; a 5 megapixel iSight camera with 1080p HD video recording; Apple’s A5 chip; Siri and iOS 6. The fifth generation iPod touch will be available in October for a suggested price of $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model.

To use AirPlay Mirroring, tap the AirPlay icon from the app you’re in — such as Photos, Music, Videos, or Safari — and everything on your small screen plays on your big screen. You can also stream music to any AirPlay-enabled speakers or AirPort Express-connected speakers.

The post AirPlay Mirroring supported on the fifth generation iPod touch appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.