As rivalry with Samsung and Google intensifies, all eyes are on iTV

By Ed Sutherland on Dec 12, 2012

Here’s the latest on the Apple television front: it will certainly be announced in the next three years and it will look like, well, something. But whenever and whatever Apple unveils, rivals are sure to copy it. So says venture capitalist, the founder of Netscape and one of the early architects of the web, Marc Andreessen.

Andreessen, who sits on the board of Facebook and HP, is just the latest voice in what’s become a deafening roar of rumor, leaks and knowledgeable guesses surrounding talk that Apple will get into the television business. Somehow. Sometime… Read More

 

WSJ: Apple testing TV set designs with Asian suppliers

By Cody Lee on Dec 12, 2012

Finally, after months of listening to pundits and analysts wildly speculate on an Apple TV set, there’s actually some real evidence that it exists. Well, sort of. Citing the usual ‘people familiar with the matter,’ The Wall Street Journal is reporting that it has learned that the Cupertino company is working with component suppliers in Asia to test several TV-set designs… Read More

 

One in two willing to pay a premium for the better Apple television interface

By Ed Sutherland on Dec 11, 2012

Here’s something to chew on as another Wall Street voice chimes in on the possibility of an Apple-made television set. In a survey, 47 percent of consumers say they are interested in an iTV with about the same number willing to pay more than a thousand bucks to put an Apple logo in their living room. Perhaps most intriguing is how one analyst opens the door to an iTV without the headaches of licensing content.

According to the survey by AlphaWise and Morgan Stanley, eleven percent of US head-of-households polled said they were “extremely interested” in an Apple television, with 36 percent “somewhat interested.” The 47 percent of interested consumers is greater than the number of people who were interested in the iPhone and iPad, when those Apple devices first entered the American conscious… Read More

 

How Bluetooth can make Apple TV more than a ‘hobby’ device

By Ed Sutherland on Dec 11, 2012

News that the Apple TV software will support Bluetooth could make the streaming device largely viewed as a “hobby” into something more. Much more. More than simply replacing the Apple remote with a keyboard, the new software potentially does for video what the iPhone did for grainy phone snaps.

While speculation is rampant (and likely quiet wrong) about when Cupertino will enter the television business, the Apple TV box is a gold mine just gathering dust, here’s why… Read More

 

Former VP calls iTV an ‘enduring fantasy’

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 10, 2012

As big shot analysts and Hollywood execs continue to argue whether or not Apple might ever build a standalone television set, people privy to the inner workings of Silicon Valley’s technology darling are not as convinced as the general public appears to be. Former Apple vice president Jean-Louis Gassée took to his blog to offer his take on Tim Cook’s recent comments in an NBC interview about television being an “area of intense interest” for Apple. He calls the mythical iTV an “enduring fantasy” and opines why the Apple TV set-top box is the only Apple television you’ll ever need… Read More

 

Apple trolling us with Apple TV apps and games?

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 10, 2012

Ahead of this year’s WWDC, BGR editor Jonathan Geller claimed Apple would release a software development kit allowing developers to write third-party apps for the $99 Apple TV set-top box. His prediction was incorrect because to this date the hardware runs just a few stock apps as Apple’s been consistent in disregarding calls to open up the platform to third-party programmers.

Gene Munster, arguably the biggest proponent of a standalone Apple television set, has no doubt in his mind that apps are coming to your telly, recently predicting Cupertino will offer an updated Apple TV box with a TV app store as early as next year. In fact, Apple may have inadvertently leaked this capability because the Apple TV’s Movies menu has been spotted running banners that promote holiday apps and games… Read More

 

Google getting rid of Motorola’s set-top box biz to focus on phones and Apple

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 10, 2012

It is no secret that no one has cracked the code to the perfect TV yet. As multiple vendors fight for the living room with no clear leader in sight, the search monster’s Google TV platform is floundering and Apple’s $99 Apple TV hockey puck is still deemed a hobby business, despite sales in the first six months of 2012 doubling to 2.7 million units, almost equalling the 2.8 million Apple TVs moved in the entire 2011.

And as the prospect of an Apple-branded standalone HD TV set continues to occupy the brightest minds in the industry and Hollywood, rival Google is looking to sell off the cable box division of Motorola and has already received a few offers last week. But why is Google willing to drop Motorola’s set-top box business in the first place? Read More

 

Here’s how the Apple TV’s new Bluetooth keyboard support works

By Jeff Benjamin on Dec 8, 2012

Earlier today we told you about how the latest beta version of the Apple TV firmware adds Bluetooth keyboard support. Why Apple is just now getting around to adding support for keyboards is anyone’s guess, but it’s better late than never.

No longer will you have to tediously type in hidden WiFi SSIDs and passwords in order to setup a WiFi connection. No longer will you tear your hair out in frustration as you search YouTube for your favorite videos from iDB.

We’ve downloaded the beta version of the latest Apple TV firmware, and tested out the Bluetooth keyboard support for ourselves. Now we’d like to share with you the entire setup process just to show you how incredibly easy it all is. Take a look inside… Read More

 

Apple TV to see Bluetooth support, courtesy of iOS update

By Oliver Haslam on Dec 8, 2012

The Apple TV may just be a hobby (or is it?) but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t still receiving some new features as new versions of iOS are released. The latest beta release of iOS for the Apple TV is a prime example of Apple’s intent to push the device forward, and one particular new feature is one we’ve been begging for.

If you’ve ever sat and entered a long iTunes or Wi-FI password using the Apple TV’s remote control, then you’ll probably have asked why the little black box doesn’t support Bluetooth keyboards. Nobody really understood the decision but, thankfully, it appears that it’s all about to change.

That’s right folks, the current iOS beta endows the Apple TV with support for Bluetooth keyboards! Finally…

Read More

 

Cook: Apple television is an ‘area of intense interest’

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 6, 2012

NBC’s much hyped interview with Tim Cook is scheduled to air today at 10pm Eastern, 7pm Pacific time. The network has posted a preview of the show containing Cook’s interesting comment on the state of the elusive and long-rumored Apple television set. In it, Apple’s chief executive likened the Apple TV project and the living room to an “area of intense interest”, but refused to provide any more details.

Remembering how Steve Jobs had insisted on describing the $99 hockey puck as a hobby business, it’s certainly interesting that Cook now positions the living room as a business opportunity Apple is keen on taking to the next level. Perhaps the rumored Xbox TV project from Microsoft has forced Apple to re-consider its “hobby” stance? Read More

 

Apple rolls out 5.1.1 Apple TV software with iTunes Up Next

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 29, 2012

Hot on the heels of posting the eagerly anticipated iTunes 11, a major revamp of the jukebox app focused on iCloud integration and cleaner navigation, Apple of California also started pushing an incremental update to the Apple TV, its $99 set-top box. The iOS 5.1.1 firmware number with a build number of 10A831 is now available as a Software Update for both the second and third-generation Apple TV. To apply it, just choose Settings > General > About on your Apple TV… Read More

 

Time Warner CEO speaks out about Apple TV

By Cody Lee on Nov 28, 2012

Apple’s upcoming plans for the living room, and more specifically the TV space, has been a hot topic at Business Insider’s IGNITION conference this week. It was the major focus of analyst Gene Munster’s talk, and it was brought up again today with Jeff Bewkes, the CEO of media conglomerate Time Warner… Read More

 

Gene Munster talks Apple TV and more at Ignition conference

By Cody Lee on Nov 28, 2012

Reports that an Apple TV product is in the works have resurfaced a number of times over the past few years. Analysts continue to believe that Apple has something bigger planned for the living room than its current $99 hobby.

Perhaps nobody believes this more than Piper Jaffray’s senior Apple analyst Gene Munster. And he was recently seen at Business Insider’s IGNITION conference in New York talking about Apple’s plans for the TV and more… Read More

 

FireCore talks Apple TV 3 jailbreak

By Cody Lee on Nov 27, 2012

Since Apple unveiled the third-generation Apple TV earlier this year, folks have been clamoring for it to be jailbroken. It has a faster processor, double the RAM and streams video in a higher quality — who wouldn’t want to take advantage of it?

And there’s no one itching for an Apple TV 3 jailbreak more than the folks over at FireCore, the makers of the popular aTV Flash software suite. Well today, the team spoke out about the progress (or lack there of) that is being made on the hack… Read More

 

Conceptual renders imagine iTV interface

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 26, 2012

A member of The Verge forums posted a series of intriguing images depicting an à la carte heaven where the Apple TV box serves entertainment from pretty much any source imaginable, be it DLNA devices on the local network, your cable or satellite provider web sources like iTunes and YouTube – even premium channels like HBO and Fox. Regardless of the source, the concept calls for a unified interface bringing together all the different media sources in one central place, with voice-activated search, electronic program guides and other perks… Read More

 

Rumor: Microsoft’s Apple TV-killer is called Xbox TV, coming in 2013

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 21, 2012

I see a pattern emerging here. Apple comes up with the iPad and Microsoft launches the Surface. Then, Apple makes the iPad mini while Microsoft is allegedly readying a gadget code-named Xbox Surface, basically a seven-inch Surface tablet focused on gaming. And now, word on the street is that Redmond is working on its own set-top box to take on the Apple TV and others in the living room space. Aptly named Xbox TV, it’s aimed at casual gamers and regular couch potatoes… Read More

 

Users report major issues with latest Apple TV update

By Cody Lee on Nov 20, 2012

Back in September, Apple pushed out a significant update for the Apple TV. Labeled iOS 5.1, it included a number of new features and improvements, including support for Shared Photo Streams.

But apparently, the new firmware contained more than just refinements. According to a lengthy ongoing thread in Apple’s support forums, the update also brought along some crippling bugs… Read More

 

Munster: Apple to kick off 2013 with iTV (and other wild predictions)

By Ed Sutherland on Nov 20, 2012

Like the left-over turkey that just won’t disappear from the fridge, talk of a full-blown, Apple-branded HD television set – the mythical iTV – lingers on in the minds of Wall Street seers. The product could carry a price of $1,500 and $2,000 and be introduced in time for Christmas 2013, one analyst forecast Tuesday. The shiny television product launch would highlight a long list of new products for Apple fans of all stripes.

Although Apple’s goal of offering à la carte TV programming  is viewed as “unlikely,” some of the features made popular on the iPhone and iPad could be headed to a big-screen TV set spanning between 42 and 55 inches, according to perhaps the most vocal iTV proponent out there, Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray… Read More

 

Google looking to take on Apple with AirPlay alternative

By Cody Lee on Nov 20, 2012

Despite the fact that Tim Cook continues to refer to it as a hobby, the Apple TV continues to sell fairly well thanks to its low price tag, access to services like Netflix and Hulu+, and most of all, its wireless AirPlay technology.

And it sounds like Google wants to replicate that success with Google TV. According to a new report, the tech giant is working on rolling out a new AirPlay-like open wireless technology for its TV and Android devices… Read More

 

Xiaomi Box, an Apple TV knockoff, does AirPlay at a very tempting price

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 16, 2012

Tempting ability to wirelessly beam whatever is displayed on your iPhone or iPad to a big-screen TV set has a major downer: it requires Apple’s $99 set-top box to decipher encrypted AirPlay streams and then feed video to your telly via HDMI. And for many, Apple TV is just not a very useful set-top box so parting with their hard-earned $99 just to get AirPlay is not an option.

But what if you could get AirPlay functionality at a very tempting price plus choice of other popular video formats and apps, none of which Apple’s device supports? That’s what Xiaomi Box does for you. Basically an Android set-top box, it’ll run you somewhere in the $60-ish. The thing’s compatible with DLNA, Miracast and Apple’s AirPlay, letting you wirelessly stream content from Apple’s iPhone and iPad, personal computer and Android phones with MIUI installed… Read More

 
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