touchpad – Apple TV Hacks

Apple announces the all-new Apple TV with App Store, Siri, tvOS and redesigned Bluetooth remote

tomek — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 21:53:54 +0000

As expected, Apple has toady announced the next generation Apple TV with big focus on apps and gaming. It runs the all-new tvOS operating system, based on Apple’s iOS, enabling iOS developers to create new apps and games specifically for Apple TV. Users will be able to download apps directly through the new Apple TV App Store.

The 4th gen. Apple TV features Apple’s 64-bit A8 chip and supports Bluetooth 4.0 and fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi..

It comes with a completely redesigned Bluetooth “Siri Remote” that lets you navigate through your content by using Siri or a glass touchpad. It also sports built-in accelerometer, gyroscope and a Lightning port.

You can search with your voice for TV shows and movies across multiple content providers simultaneously. Siri allows you to search TV shows and movies by title, genre, cast, crew, rating or popularity. Apple TV will search iTunes and apps from Netflix, Hulu, HBO and Showtime.

Siri also offers playback control and on-screen navigation, as well as quick access to sports, stock and weather information.

The new operating system – tvOS, supports key iOS technologies including Metal, for detailed graphics, complex visual effects and Game Center.

Crossy Road and Beat Sports are among the first games that we will see on the new Apple TV.

The revamped Apple TV will be available at the end of October starting at $149 for a 32GB model and $199 for a 64GB model.

A new Xcode beta that includes the tvOS SDK is available for developers today at developer.apple.com/xcode/downloads.

Developers can also request an Apple TV developer kit at developer.apple.com/tvos/.

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No longer a hobby. Everything we know so far about Apple TV 4

Rob Witman — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 20:18:23 +0000

It appears that the time has come for the little black box to grow up and become a significant player in Apple’s ecosystem. Some reports even speculate that the Apple TV will be THE center of the Apple ecosystem in homes; connecting Internet of Things devices via HomeKit, showcasing iCloud & Photos content, playing games and eventually streaming broadcast television. While the iPhone 6s will undoubtedly take center stage at this Wednesday’s event, all signs point to the new Apple TV being the real star of the show.

First, the raw details that first leaked at 9to5Mac and have been quoted through out the web since. The device will run iOS 9 and include an updated remote, likely with an integrated touchpad and accelerometers for rough gesture based input.

The internal hardware will be significantly upgraded from the prior iteration with the inclusion of an A8 processor, 2GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.2 and 802.11ac wireless capabilities resulting in a $149 price point. It appears the price may be tied to the internal storage space with several variants being considered, likely 8 and 16GB models.

While this will create a very formidable little box, the current rumor is that it will not support 4k video.

One of the biggest improvements with the new device is said to be the interface. While initially ‘clean and simple,’ the grid based icon layout of the current Apple TVs has become a sea of never ending icons and is far from pleasant to use. Frankly I have all but ditched mine as the speed to arrive at an application and then load it is easily surpassed by competitors such as the Roku 3.

Thankfully, iOS 9’s new Proactive Spotlight Search capabilities provide a handy tool for eliminating the need for endless icons. With so many options for streaming, the ability to ‘deep search’ into applications and immediately get to the content you want will be key for TVs of the future. This improved search along with upgraded Siri functionality is said to make the new Apple TV interface really shine.

In the past, this is where the updates would have stopped, a spec and UI bump. Sure there were people that had heard rumors or seen ‘Apple TV’ show up in Flurry results, but a true native App Store for the device never materialized… until now.

Finally, after many years of speculation, desire and even dedicated gamepad support in iOS, the new Apple TV version will have apps! Why now, why not years ago? Only Mr. Cook knows the truth but I have several theories we can discuss over beers at WWDC next year.

What is most surprising to me is that until now, there has been NO visibility of this in the development tools. None. Apple isn’t about to release an App Store without apps, so what gives? This is complete speculation, but I believe this will be very similar to the iPad launch in that the new Apple TV will support much of the current App Store catalogue with few if any tweaks needed in the code base.

However, for those that have the resources, there will be a 30 day window in which to develop an Apple TV-‘optimized’ build of your application. Much like the iPad launch, these will get special billing in the store.

This actually brings me to one of my theories on the delay, I believe the remote was a big factor and this new remote enables the backward compatibility to fill the store from day one.

Either way, we will see for sure on Wednesday September 9th starting at 10am PST.

Rob Witman (@robwitman)

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Confirmed: next Apple event is September 9, invitation hints at Siri-controlled Apple TV 4?

tomek — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 17:48:18 +0000

Apple has just sent out invitations for its next special event on September 9th. The event will be held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco at 10:00 am. It is widely expected that the new Apple TV model will be announced during the event.

The tagline this year reads: “Hey Siri, give us a hint,” which may point to Siri-controlled Apple TV.

Apple will be live streaming the event on the web for Mac, iPhone, iPad, PC and Apple TV users. Streaming via Apple TV requires a second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 6.2 or later.

Apple TV 4 is expected to be slimmer than the current-generation model and feature Apple’s A8 chip, a new, “drastically improved” remote with touchpad, more on-board storage, an improved operating system with support for Siri voice control and a long-awaited App Store.

9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman has recently provided more details about the forth generation Apple TV:

Apple TV 4 will be the first model to run a full-blown iOS core and it will run a TV-optimized version of iOS 9;
it will look like the prior Apple TV, but will be slimmer and slightly wider;
the new remote control will not only include touch-based input but also gesture support. Perhaps it will also feature Force Touch technology;
Apple is planning to include a support for a system-wide search on the new Apple TV (just like the Proactive search on iOS 9);
as for the Apple TV apps, Apple has fosuced on video-centric applications, “which would allow media companies to release new channels on the Apple TV on their own schedule”;
the new Apple TV will include a refreshed, more iOS-like interface;
it appears that Apple’s long-rumored online TV service won’t launch until at least next year.

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Report: Apple TV 4 to be announced on September 9th

tomek — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 15:20:48 +0000

Following his previous report that the new Apple TV will be announced at Apple’s annual September event, BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski now says that Apple is planning to held the event on September 9th.

Sources familiar with Apple’s plans tell BuzzFeed News the company intends to hold a special event the week of Sept. 7, with Wednesday the 9th being the most likely date.

The long-awaited Apple TV 4 is expected to be unveiled at this event:

Multiple sources familiar with Apple’s plans say Apple TV is currently part of the company’s fall event.

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Apple’s subscription internet-TV service, that was initially rumored to debut this fall alongside the new Apple TV, is now scheduled for Q4 or, more likely, even 2016 release, according to sources.

Back in March, we learned that Apple’s HDTV project had been dropped in early 2014 in favour of Apple TV 4.

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Apple TV 4 with Siri and its own App Store to be unveiled in September

tomek — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 00:16:51 +0000

According to BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski, a reputable source for Apple news, Apple is planning to introduce a new Apple TV model at its annual September event.

Sources familiar with Apple’s plans tell BuzzFeed News that the company intends to announce its next-generation Apple TV in September, at the same event at which it typically unveils its new iPhones.

At the September event, Apple is expected to release an Apple TV SDK.

Apple’s subscription internet-TV service, that was initially rumored to debut this fall alongside the new Apple TV, is now scheduled for Q4 or, more likely, even 2016 release, according to sources.

Back in March, we learned that Apple’s HDTV project had been dropped in early 2014 in favour of Apple TV 4.

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NYT: Apple TV 4 to be introduced in June with web-based TV service and a new remote with touchpad

tomek — Tue, 05 May 2015 11:19:29 +0000

The New York Times reports that the new Apple TV is expected to be announced this June during WWDC 2015. Citing an anonymous Apple employee “briefed on the product”, NYT claims the 4th gen. Apple TV will get a new, “slightly thicker” remote with a touchpad and will offer a web-based TV service.

When Apple introduces its new TV box this summer, the remote control will gain a touch pad and also be slightly thicker than the current version, according to an employee briefed on the product, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the device was confidential.

The touch pad can be used for scrolling around and there will also be two physical buttons, the person said. The remote’s thicker size is comparable to the remote control for Amazon’s wireless speaker, the Echo, the person added.

The new Apple TV is expected to be introduced this June during Apple’s annual conference for software developers, according to the employee briefed on the remote.

Apple has held talks with a number of leading television groups to offer an Internet-based TV service this year for its Apple TV, iPhone and iPad, according to people briefed on the company’s plans.

The service will offer a bundle of channels that is smaller and cheaper than the broad catalog of offerings in a typical cable subscription, according to these people.

Back in March, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is planning to launch a $30-$40/month online TV service in September.

According to BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski the new Apple TV will also get Siri and its own App Store.

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