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Amid persistant rumors that Apple is developing a revamped Apple TV set-top box, new code appearing in iOS 7.1 indicates that the company is indeed working on building in support for Siri voice input on the Apple TV, as highlighted by 9to5Mac. The references are included in both iOS 7.1 and iOS 7.1.1, but not in earlier releases such as iOS 7.0.6.

siri_apple_tv_assistant.jpg
The file is a supporting property-list resource for Assistant (Apple's internal name for Siri), containing information about the feature. The UIDeviceFamily array declares what platforms are compatible with the feature.

As shown by Apple's documentation, '1' and '2' represent the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad families. The '3' represents the Apple TV family.
References to a new Apple TV model were previously found in iOS 7 builds, and today's information suggests that voice input and feedback are likely to be included on the new device.

Apple's launch plans for a new Apple TV box remain unclear, with rumors of a late 2013 launch giving way to reports centering around an introduction in March or April of this year. Those rumors were then quashed by The Loop's Jim Dalrymple, leaving uncertainty about Apple's television plans. A recent product roadmap prediction from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicated that the new Apple TV could arrive around September or October of this year.

Article Link: References to Siri for Apple TV Found in iOS 7.1 Code
 

e-dan

macrumors newbie
Sep 1, 2012
15
0
It will be most probably similar to Amazon's FireTV Voice search. Only through the iPhone.
 

Sky Blue

Guest
Jan 8, 2005
6,856
11
Siri, play the latest episode of the Walking Dead.

"Sorry, I can find a show called Wrouton Ted. Would you like me to search the internet?"
 

Kirb112

macrumors member
Jan 16, 2013
77
31
We've been hearing rumors of a new Apple TV for quite some time now. I would love some solid details so I can decide if I want to sell both of my AT3s, bringing more value before the new units are released.
 

keterboy

Guest
Jan 22, 2014
152
0
Earth's Core
Apple should buy Nintendo and merge it with Apple TV as a universal console. Nintendo is a known 'family console' after all and would, in my personal opinion, fit perfectly to Apple's living room entertainment.

Then again, my gut feeling tells me it'll never happen :rolleyes:
 

unplugme71

macrumors 68030
May 20, 2011
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Earth
Apple should buy Nintendo and merge it with Apple TV as a universal console. Nintendo is a known 'family console' after all and would, in my personal opinion, fit perfectly to Apple's living room entertainment.

Then again, my gut feeling tells me it'll never happen :rolleyes:

Probably not.
 

unplugme71

macrumors 68030
May 20, 2011
2,827
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I highly doubt there would be a microphone on the Apple TV. Most people store it in an entertainment cabinet behind a glass door.

I'm going to take a guess that it will be part of the 'Remote' app on the iPhone/iPad and maybe for the rumored 'iwatch'.

This will enable all 1st-3rd gen aTV's to work with it.
 

casperes1996

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Jan 26, 2014
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i don't get messages like this...

Siri, play the latest episode of the Walking Dead.

"Sorry, I can find a show called Wrouton Ted. Would you like me to search the internet?"

Siri has always worked perfectly for me. I have a success rate of about 80%. I'm not saying that you've done this, but usually when people complain about Siri, it's because they've set it to a different dialect/accent than their own, like Americans setting it to Australian, simply because they think the Siri voice is cool in Australian. I use Siri on a day to day basis, and the service is amazing, and almost never mishears me.
 

casperes1996

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Jan 26, 2014
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In that case

I highly doubt there would be a microphone on the Apple TV. Most people store it in an entertainment cabinet behind a glass door.

I'm going to take a guess that it will be part of the 'Remote' app on the iPhone/iPad and maybe for the rumored 'iwatch'.

This will enable all 1st-3rd gen aTV's to work with it.


In that case, they'd also have to add it to the physical remote. Even with a higher level of integration, I'd not want to use my phone to control TV. There's just something convenient about a physical remote, dedicated to one use.
 
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akm3

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2007
2,252
279
Siri has always worked perfectly for me. I have a success rate of about 80%. I'm not saying that you've done this, but usually when people complain about Siri, it's because they've set it to a different dialect/accent than their own, like Americans setting it to Australian, simply because they think the Siri voice is cool in Australian. I use Siri on a day to day basis, and the service is amazing, and almost never mishears me.

I like Siri too but a success rate of 80% is not 'perfectly'
 

bushido

Suspended
Mar 26, 2008
8,070
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Germany
navigating shows / movies with english names with siri set to german will be fun ... cuz that works so well on the iPhone. (sarcasm)

just tried it with "the walking dead" ... it became "Dworkin Dad"
 

newyorksole

macrumors 603
Apr 2, 2008
5,058
6,354
New York.
Hmmm I wonder if the new set-top box will have a microphone built in and you'll be able to just say "SIRI, find..."

Or if you'll speak into your iOS device.
 

WeLovesDaMac

macrumors newbie
Apr 23, 2014
3
5
Let's pray they refine Siri's algorithms before the release of the impending Apple TV to better understand what the hell we're trying to say.
 

casperes1996

macrumors 604
Jan 26, 2014
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Maybe not.

I like Siri too but a success rate of 80% is not 'perfectly'

Maybe not, maybe I am just comparing it too much to how voice control used tot be. Maybe too much time with Kinect has broken my judgement, maybe. All things considered though, I'd call 80% "perfect", relative to how things were before Siri, and how things still are for others (looking at you Xbox).
 

HenryDJP

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Nov 25, 2012
5,084
843
United States
Apple should buy Nintendo and merge it with Apple TV as a universal console. Nintendo is a known 'family console' after all and would, in my personal opinion, fit perfectly to Apple's living room entertainment.

Then again, my gut feeling tells me it'll never happen :rolleyes:

I don't think it would be a good investment. As fun as the Nintendo is for some, in the gaming world it's being creamed by the Playstation 4 and Xbone. For handheld gaming Apple is doing it right with the iPad and iPhone. For console/set top box gaming IMO it wouldn't be a good investment for the ATV.
 

bpcookson

macrumors 6502
Apr 6, 2012
484
90
MA
If it were part of the Remote app, that would be disappointing. It has to be part of the actual remote or otherwise pair with my phone in such a way that I don't need to touch my phone.
 

WannaGoMac

macrumors 68030
Feb 11, 2007
2,716
3,990
I hate Siri and turn it off. It's so much slower to use than just performing the task myself as manually I get it right every single time. The only use case for Siri is probably driving.
 
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