AppleTV 'Ring' theory?

[monaarts]

Remember those rumors about the AppleTV coming with a ring that would identify who is using the AppleTV? Link to the story on MacRumors here

Just a thought, maybe even a long stretch, but what if those people were slightly misinformed and the 'ring' they heard about was in fact the ring around the TouchID finger sensor? Putting this option on the AppleTV remote would allow users to switch to content based on who is using it (can anyone say parental control), make purchases simply using the fingerprint and offer options for future Apps to take advantage of it (Netflix profiles, anyone?).

I think this makes more sense than a motion iRing - very unApple like.

 

[dgalvan123]

Interesting idea, but I kind of doubt they would do either "ring" idea.

While phones are very personalized to a particular person, TVs are usually not. They are usually used by a group of multiple people. I don't really know what my Apple TV would change if it knew that it was me vs. my wife using it.

Individual apps (like Netflix) ask "who is watching". But for home-shared content, it's just accessing an iTunes library and the user selects that with a single click. For my family, we all use the same itunes library, so it does me no good to have it identify me vs. my wife. But even if we used different iTunes libraries, it's possible my wife would want to play content from my iTunes library and vice versay, so I'd still want all available homeshared libraries displayed. So again there is no value to distinguishing who is using the ATV. And Airplay is agnostic to who is sending media as well: it just takes all comers.

So, before we even get to "how" the ATV would distinguish users, I take issue with "why" the ATV needs to distinguish at all.

 

[lunaoso]

That would be awesome! I could actually see that happening, although they would need something more secure than IR to transfer fingerprint data from the remote to the Apple TV.

 

[otisg]

I had essentially the same thought. I have a 5S and touch ID works so well I could definitely see it making it's way into the whole Apple line. However, it seems to me that the challenge is making a remote that uses it that is not too expensive. The way touch ID fingerprints are registered currently requires a screen, and seems to indicate an iPod touch form factor device (although I suppose they could display using the TV...). Regardless, I think they would need much wider live content offerings and a brand new (aggregated) interface for it to be necessary. I really hope they do unveil something wonderful next month.

 

[doesopens]

me too, I really hope they do unveil something wonderful next month. thanks