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MacAttacked

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 21, 2011
35
0
Just how old is the ATV2? Isn't it time for a refresh yet? I realize this isn't refreshed every year like everything else Apple, but 720p? Seriously?

As an iPhone and iPad owner I really want the ATV for the obvious advantages compared to say the Rocku, but 720p is antiquated and I'd hate to go buy an ATV now and have them release the ATV3 early next year.

Any thoughts on how much longer till Apple releases an ATV3?
 

Consultant

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
13,314
34
ATV3 probably at least 2 or more months away.

It's rare for Apple to start selling a new product right after the holidays.
 

MacAttacked

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 21, 2011
35
0
ATV3 probably at least 2 or more months away.

It's rare for Apple to start selling a new product right after the holidays.


Yeah I get that, if it were that close it would be released for Christmas. However I would prefer not to pay $100 now and another $100 in March or April for ATV3.

How old is the ATV2 ? Was it early 2010 ? Isn't it going on two years now?
 

warvanov

macrumors 6502a
Oct 13, 2011
504
12
I suspect the next AppleTV will be an actual Apple branded television. There might be an ATV3 released along side of that but they might delay it if they think it might eat into the sales of their new TV. This is purely my own speculation though, and we might see an ATV3 long before we see the Apple television.
 

fpnc

macrumors 68000
Oct 30, 2002
1,979
134
San Diego, CA
The ATV2 was released in September 2010, or just over one year ago (Google and Wikipedia can be your friend ;)).

As to when the next release will happen, this question gets asked here in the Apple TV thread several times per month and the answer hasn't changed -- no one knows for certain.

If I has to guess I'd say that it could be another year before we see a new unit (hardware), but software updates and new services will probably appear at least every 6 months until then.
 

MacAttacked

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 21, 2011
35
0
Wow, didn't realize it's only been a little over a year.

Also thats a good point about iTunes not offering 1080p content yet.

Guess I'll just get one now and enjoy! ... Thanks!
 

filmamigo

macrumors member
Sep 17, 2003
76
0
Toronto
Yes, you should definitely get one now.

The Apple TV is a great buy at a $100. I ordered one on the day they were announced, even though I was a little concerned how 720P would look on my 1080P television. I didn't have to worry, it looks GREAT.

In Canada, the first month with Apple TV was a bit limited. But then Netflix became available and made Apple TV complete. I've since bought half a dozen as gifts for family and friends.
 

Che Castro

macrumors 603
May 21, 2009
5,878
676
Why doesn't apple release it before Christmas

Wouldn't they make more money ?

@$100 they make a nice Christmas gift

Instead people will be buying $50 rokus

Honestly the apple tv 2 should be $50 also since its 720p

And the next apple tv 3 $100
 

zedsdead

macrumors 68040
Jun 20, 2007
3,401
1,148
Sometime next year. Release history would typically indicate at the annual Sept. iPod Event, but you never know. The original version was announced at the iPod Event, but then released shortly after Macworld.
 

kiranmk2

macrumors 68000
Oct 4, 2008
1,509
1,929
I think it'll come with the iPad 3 launch. The iPad 3 will probably move to the A6 chip which will free up a lot of A5 chips for use in a new ATV and the iPad 3 will probably feature 1080p video capture. Apple also seem to be pushing airplay and screen mirroring so it would make sense to unveil a 1080p ATV alongside the new iPad. There will probably be a firmware update for the ATV 2 as well to allow 1080p output (but still limit it to 720p decoding).
 

deversm

macrumors newbie
Jun 1, 2011
4
0
As a former Roku owner, I say it's still overpriced at $50 while the ATV2 at $100 is a good value.

Besides, from the little I know, it's not exactly in Apple's DNA to price based on the competition's pricing.

Why doesn't apple release it before Christmas

Wouldn't they make more money ?

@$100 they make a nice Christmas gift

Instead people will be buying $50 rokus

Honestly the apple tv 2 should be $50 also since its 720p

And the next apple tv 3 $100
 

Dr Kevorkian94

macrumors 68020
Jun 9, 2009
2,175
76
SI, NY

Thats cool, but why not just have a built in mic instead of a remote? If you really wanted a Siri power remote just include it in the commands for Siri on the iPhone (and whatever devises have it by that time). I'm not calling you out lol just sayinging it would be easier. Regardless it would be cool to have Siri as a remote, but just in case I'd like to have the remote app still compatable. Also I agree that the ATV will probably not support 1080p until the iTunes store does. Well in my case I just bought one so I'd appreciate if a new version wouldent come out so soon.:D
 

hafr

macrumors 68030
Sep 21, 2011
2,743
9
Thats cool, but why not just have a built in mic instead of a remote? If you really wanted a Siri power remote just include it in the commands for Siri on the iPhone (and whatever devises have it by that time). I'm not calling you out lol just sayinging it would be easier. Regardless it would be cool to have Siri as a remote, but just in case I'd like to have the remote app still compatable. Also I agree that the ATV will probably not support 1080p until the iTunes store does. Well in my case I just bought one so I'd appreciate if a new version wouldent come out so soon.:D

I don't think it would be a good idea to have the mic built into the Apple TV, because this could mean that what's being said on TV could control it...
 

HobeSoundDarryl

macrumors G5
I don't think it would be a good idea to have the mic built into the Apple TV, because this could mean that what's being said on TV could control it...

Not at all. It's a matter of processing the audio to screen out anything & everything in the program audio. Basically, you would be telling the Siri technology to completely ignore what is being played through the :apple:TV audio stream. It would make Siri "deaf" to all that but still perfectly capable of sounds being made by the person or people watching.

This would work like noise-canceling headphones, only better because the code would be tuned to very specific audio that is being processed from whatever is playing via :apple:TV.
 

Confuzzzed

macrumors 68000
Aug 7, 2011
1,630
0
Liverpool, UK
If we're doing a wishlist, how about a little more content/features for Europe! As it is, the box is too US centric and really only ever used for streaming (which could easily be achieved with an old mac mini) in Europe. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact I was take a video on my iPhone or iPad and share it with the whole family on the large screen via apple TV. And mirroring is handy also. But at the price (£102 in the UK or $150-$160) is it really worth it especially with smart TVs and other technologies?
 

hafr

macrumors 68030
Sep 21, 2011
2,743
9
Not at all. It's a matter of processing the audio to screen out anything & everything in the program audio. Basically, you would be telling the Siri technology to completely ignore what is being played through the :apple:TV audio stream. It would make Siri "deaf" to all that but still perfectly capable of sounds being made by the person or people watching.

This would work like noise-canceling headphones, only better because the code would be tuned to very specific audio that is being processed from whatever is playing via :apple:TV.

If you say it's possible, it's probably possible. But then what would happen if I ask my wife "do you want to fast forward the movie"? :)

I think it'd be cool to get voice commands to work flawlessly without it picking up on the sound from the TV or a conversation in the sofa, but unless it's super smooth I'd never want to get rid of the control. And to be honest, I probably wouldn't to even if it was super smooth. I'd like to have the option of voice commands, but not be locked to it.
 

kas23

macrumors 603
Oct 28, 2007
5,629
288
Not at all. It's a matter of processing the audio to screen out anything & everything in the program audio. Basically, you would be telling the Siri technology to completely ignore what is being played through the :apple:TV audio stream. It would make Siri "deaf" to all that but still perfectly capable of sounds being made by the person or people watching.

This would work like noise-canceling headphones, only better because the code would be tuned to very specific audio that is being processed from whatever is playing via :apple:TV.

I don't know about Siri on my TV. It's best for mobile devices because they have small screens and one may benefit from speaking rather than touching or typing onto a small screen. Not so with a TV remote. There really is nothing wrong with pressing buttons. The problem is there are way too many buttons crammed on the remote and every appliance seems to have its own remote. It's not the pressing part that is troublesome.

I have Siri on my iPhone 4S and barely ever use it. Besides, what's going to happen when you try to control your TV and Apple's Siri servers are down? Why Siri needs a remote server to accomplish extremely simple commands (like "call my wife") is beyond me. In fact, I would go as far as saying having Siri on our TVs may actually add complexity that isn't needed.

As for the topic, I have an ATV2 too. And, no, I don't use it that much either. But, it you want one, I would pick one up now while they're discounted. I really can't see Apple adding that much functionality. Sure, we'll see 1080p and we may see iCloud, but what will iCloud actually do on our TVs? I don't readily see the benefit of having contacts or calendar events sync'd to my TV. Having keynote presentations sync'd to your TV is a cool idea, but I wouldn't use it ever.
 
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Uofmtiger

macrumors 68020
Dec 11, 2010
2,299
1,026
Memphis
While I don't really need voice control for basic operation, it would be great for those things you want to type in like searches for movies and songs. Right now, I use Siri quite a bit to play music from my fairly large collection in the cloud (iTunes Match). It is currently a bit glitchy, but I can tell Siri to shuffle Bob Dylan music and it will (eventually) find it and play it.

Some of the most useful iCloud features are already on AppleTV2. It has my entire music collection available via iTunes match when my computer is off. I have a mini that serves lossless files, so I am not using it, but as more and more people move to laptops/iPads and get rid of desktops and servers, it will become more and more useful to have it built into ATV2. If you are one of the many people that do not like having a computer on all the time, this is extremely convenient and useful.

Also, Photostream is avaialble now. I can take a pic with my iPhone and it will show up on my AppleTV automatically. Also, if I edit a file on a Mac with photostream turned on, it will also update photostream.

I would like 1080p, but to be honest, 720p is plenty good.
 
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