Apple TV updated: use Bluetooth keyboards, queue up songs, access purchased music

apple tv

Hot on the heels of releasing the new iOS 6.1 software with iTunes Match improvements, Siri movie ticket sales and enhanced LTE carrier support, Apple just posted a matching firmware update for its $99 Apple TV set-top box.

As indicated back in December 2012, one of the biggest new features the new software brings out is awesome support for Bluetooth keyboards, making the little hockey-puck much more than a “hobby” device. Other improvements include enhanced iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Up Next. Go past the break for the full breakdown…

The new Apple TV software version 5.2 is now available as a software update right from your device.

According to the below image provided by Jordan Kahn of 9to5Mac, the Up Next feature (first introduced in iTunes 11) is now available to Apple TV users so they can see upcoming songs when playing music and choose what plays next.

Likewise, it is now possible to browse and play individual iTunes song purchases directly from iCloud (and without having to use iTunes Match) similarly to how you’ve been able to access previously purchased movies and television shows.

Jeff previously made a nice video explaining how the new Bluetooth support works, making content searching much faster, here’s that clip.

By the way, it looks like that some people also discovered a new Apple TV designation in the code, Apple TV3,2.

This has been corroborated by iOS hacker iH8snOw.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and speculate that perhaps this Apple TV revision could bump up storage and introduce support for Ultra HD resolution? After all, both the chips and codecs to drive ultra high-resolution displays are already here.

Or, as others speculate, this not-yet-released “AppleTV 3,2” revision could introduce a version of the A6 chip, possibly opening door to games and apps, with your iOS device acting as a Bluetooth-enabled remote.

If you guys spot anything else worth sharing, please do so down in the comments.