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who cares, roku is way better than apple TV, apple will have to bring out something really significant, something really "must-have" if they want me to join their ship.
i wonder how their recommendation app will work

Does Roku have AirPlay or AirPlay mirroring? Or an equivalent?
 
Apple rarely (never?) invents new means of control - they normally get ideas from smaller companies and run with them.

Mouse came from Xerox, Multitouch came from Perspective Pixel, Voice came from Nuance...

They acquired some company that could track a ring you wore on your finger or something... maybe they'll use that for this? I can't see how that would be any better than Microsoft's Kinect, though, and Apple doesn't normally do what other companies have done unless they can come up with a better (generally simpler) way of doing it... my understanding is Kinect is already pretty dang simple.

I'm surprised Apple didn't buy Leap Motion.

When I read about the ring functionality, I wondered if it tied in with Apple's previous work on glasses-free 3D - if they can detect viewers' positions from the rings and display the 3D accordingly. Perhaps more interestingly, they could display different channels to different users. I can't see the ring being very popular (for 'fashion' reasons), but an iWatch could have the same functionality.

It identifies your position to the TV. It acts as your remote control. And you could plug in your headphones for audio. So several people could watch (& listen to) different programmes on the same TV at the same time.

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What new ways are left? Foot control?

Smellovision. Change channel by generating the appropriate smell.

After having a heavy Indian lunch, my viewing choices for the afternoon are doomed.
 
I'd like an actual panel

I'm hoping Apple actually releases a panel. I've had Sony and Samsung sets that always seem to have uniformity issues such as clouding and dead pixels (which Sony thinks is acceptable up to 12). Yellowing issues aside, I really like how Apple bonded the panel to the screen on the new iMacs. At least the panel is flat up against the screen and not warped so many manufacturer's sets are. I also remember hearing about a patent they were developing to turn off certain areas of the screen for letterbox content. Also, Apple has been fairly accommodating to my OCD in the past for perceived defects. I'm sure I'd be saving for a while but I think Apple could produce a really good set.
 
Is this "new way" is the one Steve Jobs mentioned? Or Tim Cook developed his own with the help of his marketing team?..
 
Theoretically, iTV is worth $750million.
Apple has over $120 billion in cash ... so yes they could buy them out IF they were for sale.
Don't get your knickers in a bunch mate! ;)

You really dont get it do you :rolleyes:

Take money off the table completely - its nothing what so ever to do with money. Apple could afford to buy a number of countries out, it doesnt mean they could ever actually do so though!

For one thing the competition commission would never allow it as it would create another BSkyB - which will never be allowed again.

Then you've got the fact that ITV is not owned by one group, or just a bunch of standard shareholders. Its partially owned by Virgin (Richard Branson), BSkyB (which in turn is partially owned by Murdoch) and a number of others.

Sky for one would block it, as would the BBC and likely C4.

Even if you somehow manage to bribe your way past all this, there would be strong legal stipulation attached - that would be that Apple would not be allowed to close ITV. It would need to keep it funded, simply because if they ever tried to sell it off, the only interested party would be BSkyB, who wouldn't legally be allowed to buy ITV (they have already had all sorts of buyouts blocked).

Go back to my original comparison and look at it the other way around. It'd be like the BBC buying Apple just to launch a new channel called 'Apple'. Its crazy that anyone even thinks its something Apple would consider doing.

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ITV's current market cap is 6.3 billion pounds (about 9.8 billion US dollars).
Apple currently has 145 billion dollars in the bank as cash.

So, Apple could DEFINITELY buy ITV if they really wanted to, in a hostile takeover by buying their stock, and still have 135 billion or so left.

ITV is super large and super powerful, but Apple is so much more so.

No. Competition Commission. Read my last post - its nothing to do with who has the most cash.
 
An Apple TV SDK and opening up a TV App Store is definitely the way to go. There are many apps in the App Store which are begging to be brought to a full screen TV if they are done right.

Apps on iOS devices have been a phenomenal success and the best way for Apple to get a foothold in the living room is to allow this.

The release of an actual TV set can come later -- what matters is that the apps and the ecosystem exist ASAP to allow a full Apple TV set to become a much more compelling proposition.

So far I've not seen a UX on any other so-called "Smart TV" that would be as good as Apple and their loyal band of third party developers could do it.
 
I don't want to talk to my tv. I don't want to point at or dance in front of my tv. But I do want to be able to control it lying on the sofa without having to look at the control device.

Ideas, anyone?

PS: A new Apple TV would be awesome. Bring it on.

I'm guessing it will be a just use the touchscreen of an iOS device and have an option to buy a remote control device. After setting up your device to play nicely with iTV, navigating around and volume changes will be a matter of holding the home button for siri to appear and having access to the multitouch gestures on the touchscreen. Siri will deactivate if it recognizes a touchscreen press. Eg. Volume control can be your typical scrollwheel gestures. A menu screen will appear when directional gestures are recognized and allow for easy navigation. I really doubt the menu screen will be a vertical list of channels. It will allow navigation in multiple directions and Apple should also move away from the old channel numbering scheme and sort channels by genres..
 
maybe a REAL apple TV, not a set-top box. apple should get in the TV industry, it has great potential, it can increase apple's revenue by billions

the margins in tv sets are much lower than apple's. they are low-margin, hi-volume items.
 
I think that whatever they have planned is going to happen soon.

Walt Mossberg explained all the choices that we could have in very plain terms a few days ago http://allthingsd.com/20130813/the-many-internet-video-options-for-tvs/?mod=atd_reviewbox. He wouldn't go through all that unless he knew this was coming soon.

The Sony and Viacom deal is starting to roll the ball, who knows where it will go.

Doesn't the tv season start in late September? Who knows nowadays.
 
unless this ends up being more than simply an apple TV box pre-installed inside a TV, I'm not sure if the iTV will be much of a success
 
Please keep rumors like this coming. The more rumors, the more likely they will turn out to be true!
 
If they added a video camera and motion controller to the current AppleTV box we wouldn't actually need an Apple branded television. Simply use an iPod or iPhone as the controller.
 
I think an expanded aTV would make much more sense than a full size than an actual TV. I have a recent TV and I would see no reason to spend another $1K just because it is an apple TV. Expand the aTV, put in an SDK, an aux input for DVD/Blu-Ray or an external HDD for storage, add a section to the App store and we would have a great device - I would buy two.

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the margins in tv sets are much lower than apple's. they are low-margin, hi-volume items.
and think of the hassle for the Apple stores to have to deal with returns of a 55 inch monitor! It's one thing to deal with returns on MBPs or iMacs, but ramp it up to 55 inches and the stores would be overwhelmed.
 
Just open the App Store on it already. It's also sad that I can't even get public airwave channels and record them. I've always liked the TiVO box except that its interface was horrible.

And as many live media options as possible. If content producers could make apps, this could be easier.

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who cares, roku is way better than apple TV, apple will have to bring out something really significant, something really "must-have" if they want me to join their ship.
i wonder how their recommendation app will work

From what I've seen, it doesn't have anything like AirPlay and doesn't have a very good interface, and there's nothing special it offers (not even lower price), but I still need to try it.
 
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I get this feeling that Apple's “TV” is an AppleTV SDK + deals with content providers plus a 4K monitor and not any kind of integrated “smart TV.”

And I would be perfectly happy with that.

What if they put out a new Apple Tv with thunderbolt:p
and new cinema display from 27 to 65 ^^?
 
I'm a big fan of many Apple products, but this one continues to make me Yawn. With all-in-ones like PS4 and Xbox One coming, I just can't see what Apple can do as well, let alone any better.
 
What if they put out a new Apple Tv with thunderbolt:p
and new cinema display from 27 to 65 ^^?

That's a possibility. And come to think of it, the second or third gen AppleTVs may not be able to handle 4K because of the HDMI. (If it's 1.4, it can.)

Does anyone know? I couldn't find anything that looked authoritative when I googled it just now.
 
I get this feeling that Apple's “TV” is an AppleTV SDK + deals with content providers plus a 4K monitor and not any kind of integrated “smart TV.”

And I would be perfectly happy with that.

It's going to be a 4k monitor. And it's going to have an Apple TV/iOS box that you plug into it (like a brain) and most likely will attach at the base or back (not like the current Apple TV but more like an SSD looking type device). You'll be able to upgrade the 'brains' every few years just like say an iPhone or iPad. Basically pretend your docking/plugging in a combo Apple TV and iPad/iOS device. And your TV will play iOS games and Apps also you'll control them via the remote. The remote is going to be wifi/blu-tooth (off the box) and basically a 'display/touch' device for the box.

Apple will merge with MS and the Apple TV will be controlled by a Kinect.

Remember what Jobs said in his biography about the control for a new television: "It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine."

That device is a tablet like remote control that has a motion sensor/video eye in it and also swipe features. Kinect is not simplistic and looks stupid anyway.
 
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