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Upcoming Apple TV iOS Update to Unlock Bluetooth Keyboard Support
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great to hear
Maybe now the ATV can be a terminal option for a mac mini server, it would actually be the missing link for a whole home network solution.
Maybe now the ATV can be a terminal option for a mac mini server, it would actually be the missing link for a whole home network solution.
5 bucks says you're wrong.
What I really want is Bluetooth gamepad support. Seriously, the ARM powered iOS devices are starting to run up on the heels of dedicated 'console' hardware and the only thing that's missing is some kind of physical controls to really be taken seriously and not just 'casual.'
While I don't expect to see a PS Vita style enclosure from Apple, getting a driver for a 'standard' (2 analog, 1 d-pad, 4 button, 4 shoulder button, 2 middle start/select buttons) controller would almost everyone on the gaming side happy.
Next up: mice, trackpads, and game controllers (for the AppleTV App Store... ).
The AppleTV = iOS Mac Nano...
).The AppleTV = iOS Mac Nano...
Why not? I have never heard of someone not being able to get the iOS app to work with Atv. And u say it won't work on 2 different ones. I'd me willing to bet the farm that its something u are doing wrong. So fix it and enjoy the app. I wouldn't use anything but the app. Its 1,000,000 times better then any BT keyboard could ever be.
Apple should do speakers next, it would be good for home entertainment systems and stuff. And mouse would be good too since that remote included is an abomination to navigate aTV
love this rumour
It's not a rumor, it's a new feature that will be included with the next ATV update. I have it on my ATV right now running the new beta.
Duh, this should have been available from the beginning, really.
But APPS are much, much, much more important and the only way Apple can make ATV3 truly useful. Siri, etc., is just fluff and rarely really needed or useful on a TV.
As is, the moment someone else, be it Google, or Roku, or Boxee, or whatever, comes up with a simple, capable solution which has good UI AND good Apps, it will replace my ATVs.
I like AirPlay (AirMirroring is still rather useless for high-bitrate HD content), but Apps are the Holy Grail of ATV.
But APPS are much, much, much more important and the only way Apple can make ATV3 truly useful. Siri, etc., is just fluff and rarely really needed or useful on a TV.
As is, the moment someone else, be it Google, or Roku, or Boxee, or whatever, comes up with a simple, capable solution which has good UI AND good Apps, it will replace my ATVs.
I like AirPlay (AirMirroring is still rather useless for high-bitrate HD content), but Apps are the Holy Grail of ATV.
You're assuming everyone has enough money laying around to buy an iPhone or iPad.
TheTV is a 99$ iOS device. It's competing with other ~99$ devices, which right now are 7 to 8 inches Android 4.0 tablets from Polaroid, Coby, etc.
I simply don't believe Apple will add an App Store to the current ATV. There's nothing to gain for them. At the moment it's nothing more than an addition to iPhone/iPad and iTunes. In its current form the ATV will never be a standalone device. We will have to wait for the Real AppleTV. And for that they need content deals first.
Methinks the reverse: if
opens an TV App Store, major content providers will have more pressure to make deals before millions of eyeballs learn to prefer other content.
How many people own a AppleTV and no iPhone or ipad? I wouldn't think many.
Having a keyboard sitting on your coffee table is a little cheesy. Feels a lot like SJobs saying "if you need a stylus, you've failed". A keyboard in the living room is kind of ghetto.
Having a keyboard sitting on your coffee table is a little cheesy. Feels a lot like SJobs saying "if you need a stylus, you've failed". A keyboard in the living room is kind of ghetto.
Definitely something strange going on for you. The Apple Remote definitely works further away than 10', but it does seem to be quite directional. The receiver needs to be line-of-sight.
As for the iOS app, both the AppleTV and the mobile iOS device need to be on the same WiFi network. I've used it successfully from two iPhones and two iPads. I did have one issue where it doesn't sending swipe gestures properly from one of my iPads, but restarting the Remote app fixed that.
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Bluetooth works in a host-client setup. One device acts as the host, the other as the client being paired with the host. You can't pair two hosts together; your Mac couldn't pair with the AppleTV.
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As the article says, this is the *upcoming* iOS update... not available for public consumption yet.
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They should add string-telephone support! You know, so you can hold the soup cap in your hand and have a string stretching across the room to the Apple TV. Speaking commands, or making grunting noises at least, will control the UI.
Mouse support? Seriously? hahaha
You do realize that you can connect two iOS devices over Bluetooth for local multiplayer? Or a phone to a computer to share its Internet connection? Bluetooth is not like USB, where each device is predetermined to be either a host or a client. Rather whatever device initiates the connection becomes the host.
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The Apple TV is a very cool device. But there's no way I'd swap one for the Mac mini I use as a dedicated home theater PC. With the Apple TV I couldn't do this:
http://www.thephotobooth.net/Booth-Bijou/bbgarage/15469874_3BGZHh#!i=1158336650&k=Z22rJzW
For us, the Mac mini is just as important a piece of home theater equipment as the A/V receiver and the TV (or projector)!
Mark
http://www.thephotobooth.net/Booth-Bijou/bbgarage/15469874_3BGZHh#!i=1158336650&k=Z22rJzW
For us, the Mac mini is just as important a piece of home theater equipment as the A/V receiver and the TV (or projector)!
Mark
How is the
TV not a stand-alone device? You can have only the TV and still use it without any problem.I cannot find on the Apple Specs page where it says "Bluetooth"
However, Apple has a virtual keyboard on-screen. now, they see "oh. This is less convenient than a virtual keyboard ?
My respone, yes... Its less convenient because i need to get my wireless keybord out. I can see typing faster aspect, just not anything else.
However, Apple has a virtual keyboard on-screen. now, they see "oh. This is less convenient than a virtual keyboard ?
My respone, yes... Its less convenient because i need to get my wireless keybord out. I can see typing faster aspect, just not anything else.
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This
Every time there is new iOS, iTunes, and Appltv updates, it brings along some bugs that are soon worked out.
But right now I know many people that would love audio via A2DP Bluetooth, direct rather than AirTunes going thru their routers and base stations.
Maybe it's more than 10', but not much more. It doesn't work from my couch... I think my couch is somewhere between 12 and 15 feet from my TV... if I hold the remote at arms length (and lean towards the Apple TV...) it'll just barely come in range and work.
Or I can just use my comcast remote and it'll work pretty much if I point anywhere towards the wall that my TV setup is on... and from down the hallway...
I haven't tried in awhile, but it seems like on my iPhone it complains about needing to set up home sharing or something. My
TV already has home sharing set up, but the app continues to do nothing. AirPlay from iPhone to TV works well, though... and I know they're on the same WiFi network.The app itself is nice, but it's a pretty lousy experience because of the dance you have to do every single time you want to use it:
- Press the home button
- Slide to unlock
- Swipe to find the app, or double click the home button to switch back to the app
- Wait for the app to reconnect to the Bonjour network and find the Apple TV
- Start the process all over, because your iOS device will have gone to sleep by the time you need to use it again
Try using it instead of the remote when you're not the only person in the room watching and things really get frustrating. "Wait what? You want me to rewind? Hold on a second! What? Hold on!"
The BT keyboard will be instantly available. Normally I credit keyboards as the reason for the failure of similar devices (Logitech Google TV, WebTV) - but in the Apple TVs case, they've created such an elegant interface that works so well with a simple remote, that they have an opportunity to add keyboard support in an unobtrusive way.