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'Apple TV Air' Concept Imagines a Simple HDMI Dongle
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The Apple TV family will expand beyond just one device.
I'm actually expecting an uber Apple TV suitable for gaming that also incorporates a video projector. A standard, maybe slightly enhanced, current APPLE TV would be sold along side this device. Uber ATV would incorporate a 64 bit processors and advanced GPU facilities. Ideally it would also come with far more RAM and significant flash storage. Right now Apple TV simply doesn't have the flash storage to support gaming and still maintain its other capabilities.
I'm actually expecting an uber Apple TV suitable for gaming that also incorporates a video projector. A standard, maybe slightly enhanced, current APPLE TV would be sold along side this device. Uber ATV would incorporate a 64 bit processors and advanced GPU facilities. Ideally it would also come with far more RAM and significant flash storage. Right now Apple TV simply doesn't have the flash storage to support gaming and still maintain its other capabilities.
Apple always tries to offer an interesting spin on things when offering a new product, and so far the concept's practically indistinguishable from others except for the pasted logo. It's not any different from other dongles as far as I can tell. (AKA this is "something Samsung would do".)
And dongles in general are just boring to me. My personal opinion. /shrug
The 17" never sold well and accounted for only about 1% of MBP sales. You won't see that come back.
speculation hat on - if apple incorporated some of the IP from primesense (the kinect guys they acquired) into a top-or-bottom hanging device you could have an Apple TV that would have room for cameras, ir for remotes, motion sensors for gaming, microphone for siri control perhaps - and that bezel-mounted, keeping the cables away from the viewer and still manage to have a small apple logo that might glow when being interfaced with, or managing a recording (locally or to the cloud).
Does no one want it to connect through their AV Receiver first?
Apple, always wants to show off their product, not some dongle connected directly to the TV. And for the rest of us audiophiles who have 7 plus speakers I want it to go through the AV Receiver first anyway down where the rest of my components are.
Geesh!
Apple, always wants to show off their product, not some dongle connected directly to the TV. And for the rest of us audiophiles who have 7 plus speakers I want it to go through the AV Receiver first anyway down where the rest of my components are.
Geesh!
I have zero problem with the current form. i would like to see it include 802.11ac and more space to be able to auto download content off season passes or even be able to send a rental to it even if i'm not at home (say I'm at work and I see a new 99cent rental that I want to watch when i get home). perhaps even make it more like a screen less iPad with a store full of media playing apps etc. And give me an Apple TV OS that is basically just like iOS with all the choose what you want to download, etc.
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I doubt they would make it a full on Airport but with the new mesh capabilities in other devices you might be able to use the Apple TV (if set up that way) as a bouncer of sorts, which for some houses would be good.
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I don't mind it either. But I would still rather the Remote app be improved greatly. so then I don't need the silver remote or a stand alone keyboard
Err, anything that reduces junk and clutter in my house would be a welcome upgrade. I would definitely go for this if it were possible.
Good point. That's the most glaring problem with this concept.
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Just plug it in to your AV receiver then.
I don't care what they do with it as long as the beef up the wifi. 3x3 11n will be ideal along with a better antenna.
AppleTV really comes down to content, not capability.
If you look at the problem it's trying to solve, the little black box is about delivering content in an easy-to-use and efficient way. That's why all the updates recently have focused around adding new channels/partnerships to the existing UI.
But, if you want to start expanding the features of the device beyond content-consumption, then you ask "what kind of features are relevant?" against what technologies Apple already owns.
FaceTime is an obvious one. Adding FaceTime to AppleTV would require a camera though.
Alternative input? Voice-recognition. That needs microphones.
So if you add a camera and a microphone to an AppleTV you need a camera stand for it. And if you're going to add 1 camera to it (for FaceTime) why not add a few, and leverage that recent acquisition regarding motion detection?
That solves the problem of not being able to use a mouse (screen's too big) or multi-touch (screen's too far).
And then you start to see that, if anything, a next generation AppleTV starts to look less like a dongle and more like this:
![spt-kinect-camera.jpg]()
If you look at the problem it's trying to solve, the little black box is about delivering content in an easy-to-use and efficient way. That's why all the updates recently have focused around adding new channels/partnerships to the existing UI.
But, if you want to start expanding the features of the device beyond content-consumption, then you ask "what kind of features are relevant?" against what technologies Apple already owns.
FaceTime is an obvious one. Adding FaceTime to AppleTV would require a camera though.
Alternative input? Voice-recognition. That needs microphones.
So if you add a camera and a microphone to an AppleTV you need a camera stand for it. And if you're going to add 1 camera to it (for FaceTime) why not add a few, and leverage that recent acquisition regarding motion detection?
That solves the problem of not being able to use a mouse (screen's too big) or multi-touch (screen's too far).
And then you start to see that, if anything, a next generation AppleTV starts to look less like a dongle and more like this:
Why I like this...
I like the Air concept because of how I want to use AppleTV...I'm a professor and teach in multiple classrooms. I would very much like to use my iPhone or iPad to display my Keynote slide shows but I have to connect them directly to my inputs on the projector. FAIL
With a dongle I can insert it into the back of the projector (even when it is on the ceiling) and enjoy all the benefits of AirPlay in each classroom.
The current box needs to be plugged in and it is bulky to carry from class to class.
I think this is a win in terms of an additional product line. As to if I would use this at home...I have home theater so I would rather have the box there all hooked up to my ethernet and everything. Apple, can we have both?
I like the Air concept because of how I want to use AppleTV...I'm a professor and teach in multiple classrooms. I would very much like to use my iPhone or iPad to display my Keynote slide shows but I have to connect them directly to my inputs on the projector. FAIL
With a dongle I can insert it into the back of the projector (even when it is on the ceiling) and enjoy all the benefits of AirPlay in each classroom.
The current box needs to be plugged in and it is bulky to carry from class to class.
I think this is a win in terms of an additional product line. As to if I would use this at home...I have home theater so I would rather have the box there all hooked up to my ethernet and everything. Apple, can we have both?
And what percentage of sales is the Mac Pro?
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Nice ideas, however these days a lot of people will never buy anything that could be used to spy into their homes.
They will make a 6' black usb extension cable for the Apple TV and charge $29.99 for it.
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Apple likes things visible. To show its proud 'design'.
The only thing I really hate about MacRumors is that they publish "concepts" from people who don't work for Apple, have no idea what Apple's direction is, and somehow these become "rumors."
I don't care what someone thinks will be the next Apple product, I only care if they have information about what those next products might be.
Oh, and this is a terrible idea. Just like Chromecast is a terrible idea. Chromecast is streaming only. Apple TV is streaming, but can cache an entire movie and play it back again without having to re-stream it. So if your connection is a little dodgy, you can let it download 30 minutes ahead and then sit down and watch seamless HD. Chromespycast and Netflix would both drop the resolution or skip excessively. Once again, it's about the user experience, not the tech.
I don't care what someone thinks will be the next Apple product, I only care if they have information about what those next products might be.
Oh, and this is a terrible idea. Just like Chromecast is a terrible idea. Chromecast is streaming only. Apple TV is streaming, but can cache an entire movie and play it back again without having to re-stream it. So if your connection is a little dodgy, you can let it download 30 minutes ahead and then sit down and watch seamless HD. Chromespycast and Netflix would both drop the resolution or skip excessively. Once again, it's about the user experience, not the tech.
Dear Apple, I want....
A new Apple TV, quad core 64bit arm, latest GPU with ray tracing , App Store app compatibility for apps/games, 1080p and Ultra 4k video, 3d video. Works wide range of controllers. Also want apps which play new or live content and have Apis to push it to a scheduling system so I can pre download or see what's new at a glance.
I want to be larger and heavier than the cables I plug into it, the latest wifi, built in airport functionality, 3 or 4 IP connectors, And I want it soon....
A new Apple TV, quad core 64bit arm, latest GPU with ray tracing , App Store app compatibility for apps/games, 1080p and Ultra 4k video, 3d video. Works wide range of controllers. Also want apps which play new or live content and have Apis to push it to a scheduling system so I can pre download or see what's new at a glance.
I want to be larger and heavier than the cables I plug into it, the latest wifi, built in airport functionality, 3 or 4 IP connectors, And I want it soon....
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Yes please, or at the very least leave it open enough for the Jailbreaking folks to do their magic.
This one leaves me with mixed feelings. I really wish a few other things would go wireless other than the ATV which is easy to hide behind the television. Since that little remote is a pain to keep up with, I've got the Remote app on my iPad, iPhone, DD11's iPhone and iPad so we are never out of reach of a controller. The Remote app doesn't have to see the ATV to work.
The make an HDMI 90º connector which will help with televisions too close to the wall.
The make an HDMI 90º connector which will help with televisions too close to the wall.