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sir1963nz

macrumors 6502a
Feb 9, 2012
738
1,217
You lack so much vision, it's hilarious. ATV sits too far away? Just take a look at Microsoft's Kinect. It works splendidly.

Use an iPad instead of having a built-in camera? So people should spend hundreds of dollars on another device just to video chat? Bringing video chat to the living room is on the rise (again, Xbox One, TVs with built-in cameras, etc.).

Use of Mac instead of profiles? How does that even make sense? Having people be able to customize their own AppleTV UI (app placement, settings, iCloud syncing, etc.) is absurdly intuitive (again, Xbox One does this). A Mac is a computer and we're here discussing a niche entertainment device.

SSD is flash, so you don't make any sense and my argument is valid. You have no idea how big apps are going to be, how big games are going to be, how the infrastructure of cacheing/saving videos/photos/shows is going to evolve. Why limit it to its current 8GB (or whatever it is).

Using the iPhone/iPad/iPod is fine, but it shouldn't be the only option if you want to do certain tasks (like enter a channel number or something).

Just because 802.11n is 'fine' for you doesn't mean it's fine for everyone else, why not update to latest wireless standard and keep it on par with Apple's Macs and AirPort Extreme?

Let's not hold back innovation here.

Not disagreeing, just dreaming! :)

http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-360/kinect/speech-recognition#b143bad6cabe4147ae85e91fa4036408

Yes, I see just how good the kinnect is, all those limitations on its placement, background noise etc. I use Siri on my iPhone all the time and know how noisy environments impact, and that is with the microphone very close to me.

We sit 12-15 feet from the TV , a camera will force people to sit closer, in a narrower range of positions (height, horizontal angle , etc), as soon as it becomes an effort to use properly, most people won't. Oh, and I can use iChat/skype on my iPad/iPod/iPhone while everyone else is watching TV, and it can get handed around from person to person so they have a more personal interaction with the person at the other end.

Apple TV runs IOS, IOS is aimed at single user devices. Adding "users" will only complicate matters, e.g. if the device is running IOS 6, can any "user" upgrade it to IOS7 breaking many applications. If not then we are now talking about security, will it then require a keyboard ?, what about logging out of a profile, can anyone log out of anyone else's ?, there are hundreds of UI issues involved as well as file management ones.

SSDs are a subset of flash. If you want a decent sized SSD then the price will go up, then there will be all the management stuff to go with that, again complicating IOS (i.e. can one user have an App in their user space) also what happens if 5 different users want an app, is it installed 5 different times to account for the different iTunes accounts ?. What happens if I fill up the SSD with my stuff, can anyone delete my files ? (a 60G SD would hold about 5-6 HD movies as well as IOS), Bigger SSD, higher cost.

More complex controls come with more complex controllers/remotes, this too adds cost, as does 802.11ac.

Having 802.11ac on a Mac/Airport base station makes sense, you are trying to shift data as quick as possible, on the ATV a 3 hour movie will take 3 hours to stream on 802.11n and 802.11ac , there is zero benefit in upgrading the wireless. On the other hand I would NOT be happy taking 3 hours to shift 8G-10G of data.It also adds cost, for that zero benefit.

As for your constant Xbox referrals , it also comes at 7x the price of the ATV, with the Apps/games selling for more than the ATV too.

The ATV is NOT an Xbox and Apple have no intention of making it one.
What you are asking is for Apple to fork IOS into something for the ATV and something for the other IOS devices, that give multiple code bases to maintain for again little to no benefit for most people.
 

ctyrider

macrumors 65816
Jul 15, 2012
1,025
591
You think so? Logitech's CEO has already been quoted as interested in working with Apple on future projects.

That may well be - and I suspect many CEOs (especially of third-rate accessory companies like Logitech) are "interested" in working with Apple. But I assure you that "Apple TV integrated IR Blaster" isn't something that Apple will be interested in..
 

sir1963nz

macrumors 6502a
Feb 9, 2012
738
1,217
That is specific to the US, big though the US is I can't see Apple restricting their product to just one market.

Yeah, some people forget 99% of the worlds population is NOT in the USA and that Apple is now making 65% of its income internationally.
 

elvisimprsntr

macrumors 65816
Jul 17, 2013
1,028
1,532
Florida
That may well be - and I suspect many CEOs (especially of third-rate accessory companies like Logitech) are "interested" in working with Apple. But I assure you that "Apple TV integrated IR Blaster" isn't something that Apple will be interested in..

If it means Apple can rely on the owners/providers tuner box (sat, cable, ota, etc. ) for live/DVR content without having to include their own, then I think Apple would be interested. Distill the ATV down to the lowest common denominator to keep development costs and SKUs down.

I know Google and Logitech tried this in the past, but it was poorly executed, not to mention consumers tend to be reluctant to be early adopters having been burned so many times in the past with consumer devices from other manufacturers.

Apple waits for the tech/cost/market to be ready before introducing a new product. Consumers know if Apple has committed its own resources behind a product, it will not be obsolete or in the bargain bin in 6 months, which helps remove the hesitation on early adoption.

Just one man's opinion.

Cheers!
 
Last edited:

Liquorpuki

macrumors 68020
Jun 18, 2009
2,286
8
City of Angels
AppleTV4,1 = AppleTV Pro.

MSRP = $200. The extra $100 gets you 4GB of internal storage for pro use, so you can get more work done

Brand new design. Instead of a box shape, it's now shaped like a roll of toilet paper
 

ctyrider

macrumors 65816
Jul 15, 2012
1,025
591
If it means Apple can rely on the owners/providers tuner box (sat, cable, ota, etc. ) for live/DVR content without having to include their own, then I think Apple would be interested.

They wouldn't be. Apple TV won't directly integrate with external tuner boxes, nor will it include its own integrated tuner. Apple's strategy for TV is IP/Internet based content delivery.. either via apps or first-party UI. Apple will not be going back in time and supporting legacy cable/sat/ota delivery methods.

But you don't have to take my word for it.. Just wait and see for yourself ;)
 

SHNXX

macrumors 68000
Oct 2, 2013
1,901
663
just bought the apple tv but i guess i will be buying another.

oh well, i have 5 tv's in the house.
 

Liquorpuki

macrumors 68020
Jun 18, 2009
2,286
8
City of Angels
AppleTV4,1 = Apple Chromecast

"We reimagined the Chromecast as what a media dongle should be. We reinvented it to have purpose. Because it's not just about what's possible. It's about what's next."

MSRP = $400
 

mcarling

macrumors 65816
Oct 22, 2009
1,292
180
5. 64-bit A7 with 4k video support.

I'm surprised it took 100 posts to get here. The obvious feature not mentioned in the article is support for 4K iTunes content, which Apple would be able to sell for a higher price than the current 720p/1080p HD content. That would require, in addition to new contracts with the content providers, an upgrade from A5 to A6 or A7 CPU and from 8GB to 32GB of flash. Both the CPU and flash upgrades needed for 4K iTunes movies would also be needed for serious games.
 

alent1234

macrumors 603
Jun 19, 2009
5,688
170
I'm surprised it took 100 posts to get here. The obvious feature not mentioned in the article is support for 4K iTunes content, which Apple would be able to sell for a higher price than the current 720p/1080p HD content. That would require, in addition to new contracts with the content providers, an upgrade from A5 to A6 or A7 CPU and from 8GB to 32GB of flash. Both the CPU and flash upgrades needed for 4K iTunes movies would also be needed for serious games.


32GB is no where near enough for serious games
i was playing assassin's creed on my xbox one just now and the install is 40GB. for skylanders for my kids its also around 30GB. there is a reason why the PS4 and Xbone have hard drives
 

Dorje Sylas

macrumors 6502a
Jun 8, 2011
524
370
Both the CPU and flash upgrades needed for 4K iTunes movies would also be needed for serious games.

Saddly no. Games could very well be a byproduct but without a far larger storage medium "serious" games won't be happening. Most bigger games on full PC or Console are pushing 20+ GB of space (many way more), which is eaten up by the "HD" textures and assets.

Now if Apple puts in 802.11ac wireless and can hook that into a hard drive base solution like a multi-terabyte time capsual to store larger assets for remote retrieval, perhaps something could be done. But they won't.
 

wiz329

macrumors 6502a
Apr 19, 2010
509
96
Apple has so much dang money, they need to start "creating" their own original content for the ATV! They could create Apple's own Food Channel app to go on the AppleTV, along with its own Travel Channel App, et.....

Heck, they should have been the ones to spring first and make their own movie about Steve Jobs. They could easily create their own movie channel app, hiring actors, producers, directors, etc, and start coming out with their own Apple produced movies, all for the AppleTV owners. Screw HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz, etc.... Come on Apple, learn to be more proactive when it comes to competing for video content!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

This is against Apple's entire philosophy.
 

DaveTheRave

macrumors 6502a
May 22, 2003
784
370
Because you can buy movies and TV shows from Amazon, you can only stream with Netflix. Hope you have a nice looooooooong rest!

Whatever. I'd argue that the all-you-can-watch for $8/month is a bigger threat to iTunes than Amazon. And Amazon is starting to get exclusive content.
 

bretm

macrumors 68000
Apr 12, 2002
1,951
27
There won't be a cable tuner in this. A cable tuner does more than tune to a station. It also descrambles a signal. There is no way Charter or Comcast would allow a 3rd party device do the "initial" descrambling. It could receive the descrambled signal and place a layer on top to show a grid of the stations available though.

I don't have a charter box and my TiVo descrambles just fine. It has a cable card supplied by charter.

----------

Whatever. I'd argue that the all-you-can-watch for $8/month is a bigger threat to iTunes than Amazon. And Amazon is starting to get exclusive content.

It's not. There isn't crap for movies on Netflix. They get the bad Adam Sandler movies, or the not quite as good horror sequels. You'll rarely find a top performing movie in there, even if it's 30 years old.
 

Amplelink

macrumors 6502a
Oct 8, 2012
934
392
Apple waits for the tech/cost/market to be ready before introducing a new product. Consumers know if Apple has committed its own resources behind a product, it will not be obsolete or in the bargain bin in 6 months, which helps remove the hesitation on early adoption.

Just one man's opinion.

Cheers!

Agreed. And the market for Apple TV clearly wasn't ready yet in the past few years, mostly due to content issues. Now Apple has very obviously been procuring content with the various new channels that have popped up. We're probably still some time away from the mega deal that will open the floodgates, if it ever happens.
 

elgrecomac

macrumors 65816
Jan 15, 2008
1,163
162
San Diego
Wow!

I'm pretty sure if Apple released an Appletv/Tivo box, that I would sell my first TWO unborn children for it. I'm also pretty sure that my wife would sell me for that kinda box.

Dude, relax. Its a piece of consumer electronics. Remember, GUI's are nice, but, as the aTV has shown, mass adoption will be reliant on CONTENT. The reason it hasn't happened any sooner is because the Cable Providers don't want to relinquish control to a single, closed ecosystem, like Apple because they vividly remember what happened to the music industry.

Until such time, it will remain a cute 'hobby'...or until the Cable Providers do something so that Google, Tivo, Amazon, Roku, Netflix, etc. AND Apple can jump it all at the same time. It would have to be the the video content equivalent to the Grand Unified Theory of particle physics.

----------

AppleTV4,1 = AppleTV Pro.

Brand new design. Instead of a box shape, it's now shaped like a roll of toilet paper

Now THAT is really, really funny! Bravo!
:D:apple:
 

aaronvan

Suspended
Dec 21, 2011
1,350
9,353
República Cascadia
This has been covered before in this thread but why would they and who would watch it - you wouldn't get say Fringe or Helix or Homeland or Comminity or many other TV greats from Apple or Netflix

How do you know what you would or wouldn't get from Apple or Netflix? Are you aware that Netflix is already producing hugely popular original entertainment? House of Cards. Orange is the New Black. Heck, Netflix even has an original film nominated for an Oscar this year.

No reason Apple can't do the same. They already have the money and the means of distribution.

Who would watch it? Well, people will watch if it's good.
 

ctyrider

macrumors 65816
Jul 15, 2012
1,025
591
No reason Apple can't do the same. They already have the money and the means of distribution.

Apple has the money and the means for making lots of different things.. Robots, solar panels, original TV series, weather drones, broadway shows.. It doesn't mean they will make any of them. That's what makes them Apple.
 

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,720
Boston, MA
I will get excited if the product is actually a worthy upgrade (uh oh, that dreaded overused phrase). As it stand right now (IMO of course) the ATV2 is the best of the bunch. The 3 is just a crippled two (no jailbreak means serious lack of content) with some beefed up specs, most of which don't even make a difference for streamed content (and if they do, it's very little considering what you're giving up).

As it stands, if you have a lot invested into iTunes movies, the ATV3 is a pretty good unit. Otherwise, there are products out there that do what the current gen ATV does (aside from iTunes of course) much better.
 
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