Apple has been treating Apple TV as a hobby since it failed to take off after launch. But that could all be about the change, with rumors that Apple is about to reboot the product in a big way.
If true, this is setting up an almighty battle with Google TV. Which should be fun to watch.
Apple TV
Steve Jobs first announced Apple TV back in September 2006, and at that point in time the company supposed it was going to have another huge hit on its hands. But it hasn’t turned out that way, with Apple’s success in computing and mobile devices not seeping through to the living room.
By 2008 Apple was publicly referring to Apple TV as nothing more than a hobby, and the device has remained that way ever since.
However, the last month or so has seen new rumors surfacing that Apple is about the reboot the project, and with so much speculation, and from so many sources, floating around, this would seem to have some weight.
A Major Rebooting On Way
At the end of May, Engadget claimed the new Apple TV was incoming. It would be built on the same architecture as the iPhone 4, move to Flash storage, be capable of 1080p HD video, and be priced at just $99.
Now, the New York Times is restating this story from its own sources. They claim Apple has recently hired a team to work on the Apple TV interface, and that the very nature of the device will be changing.
Out will go the cut-down OS X kernel, and in will come iOS. This will mean all those video apps which work on the iPhone and iPad will also work on the new Apple TV. And rather than the downloading of shows from iTunes, content will be in the cloud and streamed to the device on demand.
Conclusions
If these rumors are true, and I have no doubts they are, then Apple TV could be in with a chance. But Google TV is looming large on the horizon, and it all makes for a mouthwatering battle to see which of the tech giants will gain control of the living room.
At this stage, I wouldn’t know which to back.
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