Apple TV

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So does the new Apple TV support 4K or not?

As I was watching Apple's media event unfold this morning from halfway across the world, I kept my fingers crossed for a 4K-capable Apple TV. Thankfully, the much improved Apple TV is at long last official but it's conspicuous that there is absolutely no word of 4K support whatsoever.

True, 9to5Mac did report last month that the new box would “lack 4K support for streaming video and AirPlay,” but apparently the hardware itself does support 4K capability, meaning Apple has purposefully disabled 4K on the new Apple TV,

Does that mean that the company is planning on enabling 4K with a software update int the future? This has been on my mind since the event has wrapped up and I'm hoping you could help me get to the bottom of this matter.

Meet Nimbus, the first gamepad designed specifically for the new Apple TV

SteelSeries and Apple on Wednesday announced the Nimbus, the first gamepad designed specifically for the new Apple TV. It's unclear how much Apple was involved in the development of the controller, but the company is highlighting it on its website and there does seem to be an above-average level of cooperation here.

For starters, the Nimbus features a Lightning port for revitalizing its internal battery, which SteelSeries says will provide gamers with more than 40 hours of gaming per charge. It also has an extra large Menu button, similar to the one found on the new Apple TV remote, which could allow users to navigate around the new tvOS.

Siri Remote for the new Apple TV will be available in just eight countries

One of the best features of the new Apple TV, in my personal opinion, is its redesigned remote with Bluetooth 4.0 and built-in dual microphones for Siri functionality. Too bad not all buyers will be allowed to enjoy the new Siri Remote, as Apple is calling it.

According to the company's official documentation for developers, the new Siri Remote is available in just eight key markets like the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, to name a few. Apple TVs in all other countries will be packaged with the standard remote.

Confirmed: the new Apple TV has 2GB of RAM

You'd be hard-pressed to find that piece of information on Apple's Tech Specs webpage for the new Apple TV, but newly posted documents related to third-party tvOS software development provide some interesting tidbits related to the device's underlying hardware.

In addition to the 64-bit A8 chip, the new box has two gigabytes of RAM, up from just one gigabyte of RAM inside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, both of which also use the A8 chip. The new Apple TV isn't exactly focused on multitasking so Apple most likely doubled the RAM to enable finer detail in games.

Maximum size of an Apple TV app limited to 200MB, apps must store all data in iCloud

It's interesting that we haven't seen any major triple-A games shown off as part of today's on-stage demos of third-party applications for the new Apple TV.

Now it's clear why: the existing multi-gigabyte iPhone and iPad games such as the Infinity Blade trilogy, Asphalt 8 and many more must be refactored to fit the inexplicable 200MB limit for an Apple TV app.

This means that assets like new levels and worlds will be retrieved on demand from the App Store, indicating Apple is positioning its new box as a casual gaming device for your living room rather than a full-on gaming console.

Watch Apple’s sleek promotional videos for everything it announced today

In addition to refreshing product webpages on its website with detailed information about the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, the iPad Pro, the Apple Pencil, the new Apple TV and more, a batch of promotional clips providing an even closer look at the new products have surfaced on Apple's YouTube channel.

We've embedded all of them for your pleasure so give these videos a watch and join us for the discussion in the comment section.

Apps and games make their way to Apple TV

Apple on Wednesday announced a new version of the Apple TV, and it is awesome. It has a redesigned remote control, a refreshed interface, and support for voice commands via Siri. But what really pushes the device over the top is its support for native apps and games.

As expected, the next-generation set-top box features an App Store, and Apple invited some developers up on stage today to give us an idea of its potential. The game you see above is a Wii Sports-like motion game, called Beats Sports, from Rock Band developer Harmonix.

Here is the new Apple TV…

“TV plays a huge role in our lives and occupies an important place in our homes where we gather,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook at today's media event in San Francisco as he unveiled a fourth-generation Apple TV set-top box. “We believe the future of television is apps,” Cook said.

Over sixty percent of pay TV content is consumed through Apple devices, in apps, he added. The fourth-generation Apple TV, as you might have suspected, has a powerful hardware and runs a modern operating system which delivers a brand new user experience. And of course, it has an App Store of its own and Apple readily provides an official software development kit for its developers to create apps for it.

Welcome to the future of television.

Apple TV’s Events channel updated in time for today’s event

The Apple Events channel on your Apple TV box has been refreshed with matching teaser graphics and description ahead of today's 'Hey Siri' media event. “Tune in at 7:00 PM (Local Time) on September 9 to watch this event live,” reads the description on the screen. The splash page displays personalized livestream times depending on your whereabouts.

The media presentation is set to kick off in San Francisco's massive Bill Graham Civic Auditorium at 10am Pacific Time. Earlier this morning, the Apple Online Store went offline ahead of the event.

Apple appears to have trademarked ‘tvOS,’ the next Apple TV’s likely software platform name

With just a few hours until Apple's keynote, a series of trademark filings for the name 'tvOS' have been discovered by MacRumors, indicating that the Apple TV's new operating system will indeed be referred to as 'tvOS', which would be in line with the naming convention for iOS and watchOS platforms.

Apple appears to have protected the trademark via a shell corporation, as is its usual modus operandi when it wants to hide trademark filings from general public.

Apple Online Store goes offline ahead of today’s iPhone 6s, iPad Pro and Apple TV 4 event

If you're thinking about buying some gadgets in the Apple Online Store, you will have to wait until Apple's 'Hey Siri' media event has wrapped up as the company's webstore has just gone offline ahead of the press conference, which kicks off in San Francisco at 10am Pacific.

In a long standing tradition, Apple takes its online stores down around the world ahead of major media events to both raise anticipation and prepare refreshed product pages.