Mysterious 'Set Top Box' Shipment Records Hint at Refreshed Apple TV Coming Soon

[Sandstorm]

My personal wish list for Apple TV 4th gen:

1) much bigger internal storage for buffering
2) ac wifi and gigabit ethernet
3) complete UI redesign, in line with iOS 7, more functional and easier to use
4) APP STORE at last!

 

[BBCWatcher]

The problem with combined them is that not everyone keeps their router next to their TV. In fact I think it's much more common to keep it near a computer.

That's perfectly OK. Nobody would require you to use an "Apple TV Express" as a router -- or an Apple TV Express as an Apple TV, for that matter. If you want to use it solely as an Apple TV, great. If you want to use it solely as a router, great. If you want to use both functions, great.

And if you need a router in one location and an Apple TV in another, you can still buy two Apple TV Express units. Or you could buy one Apple TV Express and either one AirPort Extreme or one Time Capsule.

By the way, I agree with the other poster that if Apple introduces an Apple TV Express then it would be natural for AirPort Express and Time Capsule to also get revamped to include Apple TV functionalities. One step at a time, though. But yes, once there's an Apple TV Express there could also be a future Apple TV Extreme which would probably merge Apple TV and Time Capsule -- and also probably let the Apple TV part access all audio, video, and photo content backed up via Time Machine (security permitting). As for AirPort Extreme, perhaps that'd be a 0 TB version of Apple TV Extreme or maybe not exist at all. But yes, if Apple TV Express makes sense -- and I think it does -- then the Apple TV functions would also end up in some type of converged AirPort Express and Time Capsule products.

Integrate and simplify -- that's what Apple does. We'll see, but this sort of strategy would make a lot of sense.

 

[hydr]

Of course knowing Apple they´ll call the iTV for iWatch and trick us all. You wait and see. It´s a new product category since it includes app store, no remote control but a surprise (not voice) control. It´ll allow to run games, it will cost about $299. Later this year I´m sure they will release a display built in whole glass which will sport 4K resolution.

 

[mcarling]

If it's an atv it's probably just a refresh to support AC wifi.

802.11ac would surely be part of the next update.

Bigger buffer storage please

An updated Apple TV would probably increase the flash from 8GB to 16GB in order to support 1440p content, possibly even compressed 4K content.

I think it might have a internal storage 256gigs to rent movies/shows and keep them on there

No, Apple abandoned that idea in 2010. They aren't going back. Anyone who wants to download and keep content can use a Mac or iPad or iPhone and then watch it on an Apple TV using Airplay.

They're going to make it smaller, revamp the interface to make it look more iOS 7-ish, and introduce an app store and SDK for developers.

Smaller??? I hope that was a joke. I hope Apple will introduce an App Store for Apple TV. Games and other apps would increase demand for the Apple TV for the simple reason that children do not now pressure their parents to buy an Apple TV. Adding games and other apps would result in children demanding an Apple TV. However, the A5 processor is probably not fast enough to support contemporary games.

A7 chip (unlikely but a nice thought), more memory, AC wifi, 4k, Thunderbolt/displayport to plug into new 4k apple displays and boom apple tv

An upgrade to an A6 or A7 processor and an upgrade from the current 512MB of RAM would seem necessary if/when Apple introduce an App Store for the Apple TV. The addition of a Thunderbolt port seems unlikely. I rather think Apple will upgrade to HDMI 2.0 when they inevitably start to offer 4K content through iTunes. I note that the official release date for HDMI 2.0 seems to be 12 September 2013.

I think that a good strategy would be the AppleTv combined with an Airport Express for $99. ... It would simplefy setup and usage.

I would like that device, but I'm a geek. Apple's corporate culture is to keep things simple and easy to use. While I believe every poster here (except a few trolls) could easily use the device you propose, I think it would be confusing to some non-geek consumers, which (together with the cost) is why I don't think Apple will do it.

 

[johax84]

AppleTV SDK

A developer SDK for AppleTV would be so much fun to work with!

They're going to make it smaller, revamp the interface to make it look more iOS 7-ish, and introduce an app store and SDK for developers.

 

[hppy29]

I love and use my Apple TV more than I thought I would, I just wish that they would understand that people do live outside of the USA and add content for these countries also. That said it only take people like the BBC to make iPlayer work over airplay as a work around.

My wish list:

More Space for better/faster buffering
Ac wifi
Allow iTunes extra
More content for countries outside of US

 

[ValSalva]

This is good to see. The Apple TV is due for an update. It seems the Apple TV we have now is the Apple TV everyone is craving for. It's just that it's going to be iterations of the same thing with more and more deals with networks for content.

Let the display makers make displays that customers upgrade only every decade or so.

 

[JurgenV]

Just bought one this last weekend. After thinking about it for a long time I finally decided to do it and now I see this. I could have expected that to happen LOL.

On the bright side, yes its limited but still a pretty awesome box.

 

[KenAFSPC]

That day could still be quite awhile from now. Cable may be an old dog, but it still has teeth to bite with.

Cable solutions continue to become more compelling.

TiVo just released their next-generation "Roamio" DVR for cable+FiOS with the following features:

1. Blazing fast, IOS7-inspired 1080p user interface (much more fined than prior Tivo HD UI).

2. Six tuners to record 6 HDTV channels simultaneously at full quality.

3. Built-in 3TB capacity to store 450 HD hours, with support for an external drive.

4. Full 1080p60 output for cable channels and streaming content.

5. Built-in gigabit ethernet, MoCA (150Mbps networking over coax), and 802.11n wireless (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz).

6. Traditional trick play functionality with replay, 30sec skip, fast forward, rewind, chapter skip, etc, when viewing live or recorded shows on the TiVo, TiVo mini extender, iPhone, and iPad.

7. With the Roamio, you can watch different high-definition recordings or liveTV channels on four iPads and iPhones, simultaneously, over your home WiFi network, without any extra equipment. You can watch one channel or recorded program on your TV, while, at the same time, others in your home watch different channels or recorded programs on four different iPads and/or iPhones, all in high-definition. All you need is the free TiVo IOS app, pictured below.

8. With a software update coming this fall, Roamio owners will be able to watch (stream) different high-definition recordings or liveTV channels on four different iPads and iPhones, simultaneously, over the Internet (I.e., away from home). It's like 4x HD Slingbox, built-in, with no awkward IR emitters. All you need is the free TiVO IOS app.

9. With the Roamio, you can download and save SD and HD versions of recordings directly from the DVR to your iPad or iPhone for viewing later (e.g., on a plane). All you need is the free TiVo IOS app, pictured below.

10. Using the Roamio's gigabit ethernet port, you can download pristine high-definition recordings from the DVR to your computer at 200Mbps (i.e., a 1-hour high-definition recording downloads in about three minutes). Alternatively, you can download programs using the box's built-in 802.11n wireless or MoCa, which creates a 150Mbps network using the existing coax cabling in your home. No hacks are required; this is built-in functionality.

11. Multi-room functionality with TiVo Mini extenders: Each TiVo Mini can access all of the recordings stored on the Roamio using MoCA and your home's existing coax cables (no ethernet or wireless required). The TiVo Mini has a guide and displays live TV by accessing an unused tuner on the Roamio. TiVo added dynamic tuner allocation, so you no longer have to dedicate a tuner on the DVR to each Mini; when someone isn't watching liveTV on a Mini, the tuner is free for use by the DVR and/or another Mini and/or iPhone/iPad in your home.

12. Built-in support for Netflix, Amazon, Youtube, etc. streaming services.

13. If you purchase a lifetime subscription (pricey), there are no cable STB/DVR fees, ever.

 

[BBCWatcher]

I would like that device, but I'm a geek. Apple's corporate culture is to keep things simple and easy to use. While I believe every poster here (except a few trolls) could easily use the device you propose, I think it would be confusing to some non-geek consumers, which (together with the cost) is why I don't think Apple will do it.

I think you've got that 180 degrees backwards. Right now everybody using Apple TV has to figure out how to get that black box onto the Internet to stream content, and that automatically involves connecting it to a router, usually not Apple's. Or even if it is Apple's router it involves getting AirPort Utility on some other device and mucking with settings from that device. The end-to-end experience is more complicated than it needs to be, always, for everyone. I know plenty of people who would never figure it out.

If AirPort Express functionality becomes part of Apple TV it's only a submenu tree within wireless settings that already exist on Apple TV anyway. That doesn't add any complexity to the total experience, it removes it. No more AirPort Utility required -- just use your TV and Apple remote. (Or you can still use AirPort Utility if you want.) No more cabling or wirelessly connecting two boxes unless you really want to. One power supply instead of two -- or maybe even zero power supplies with TVs supplying power over HDMI. A reliable all-Apple connection instead of a dodgy wireless connection to a crappy third party router. No mucking with QoS or other obscure settings to give appropriate priority to Apple TV streaming versus somebody else running torrents on your network (or whatever). You don't have to live with 802.11g on a crowded 2.4 GHz network (and badly implemented) because that's what the Internet provider pulled from the parts bin when they set you up. Just plug your Internet cable (DSL, FiOS, cable modem, whatever) into Apple TV Express and you're done, for both Apple TV and AirPort Express functionalities. Your cable modem at least is probably next to or near your TV anyway.

For anybody who already has a wireless router they like, no problem! Nothing has changed, and there's no complexity added. Use the Apple TV Express as an Apple TV, just as today. You'll still follow the same task flow. But life gets much simpler and better for a great many people by combining and integrating those two collections of functions into one integrated experience.

 

[gnasher729]

A developer SDK for AppleTV would be so much fun to work with!

I suppose it is all iOS anyway, with a totally different home screen than on iPhone and iPad, but currently with very limited input (just the remote control). Apple is working on making game controllers available.

Now imagine Apple released the SDK to allow developers to write apps, give it cloud storage, bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and suddenly you turn any TV very cheaply into a full computer.

 

[rusty2192]

The Chromecast already does most of what the Apple TV does for a 1/3 of the price.

Youtube, netflix, and crude Chrome tab mirroring is most of what an apple tv does? I think you may need to check out the apple tv again.

Don't get me wrong, I have a chromecast and we have moved to it exclusively for Netflix, but it in no way does "most of what the Apple TV does."

 

[JarJarThomas]

The Chromecast already does most of what the Apple TV does for a 1/3 of the price.

Nope
-> no itunes match support
-> no different channels like watchever ...
-> no automatic fotostreaming
-> no screen mirroring nor additional screen like with mavericks

chromecast can only show a simple tv stream. nothing else.
It cant even show local content.
Chromecast is only a chrome browser with a remote control.

 

[VulchR]

All I know is that I'm not buying Apple TV until they open it up for the app store. Right now it seems very limited. I'd love to be able to surf the web using my HDTV, but I can't even do that with Apple TV. The same is true for my HDTV's remote control app on my iPhone (Viera Remote 2) - it'll show pictures and videos, and play music, but the browser function does not work even though it is referred to in the supporting material. I have a suspicion that Apple will not allow Apple TV to have a web browser app for fear of eating into its Mac market.

 

[mattopotamus]

That's perfectly OK. Nobody would require you to use an "Apple TV Express" as a router -- or an Apple TV Express as an Apple TV, for that matter. If you want to use it solely as an Apple TV, great. If you want to use it solely as a router, great. If you want to use both functions, great.

And if you need a router in one location and an Apple TV in another, you can still buy two Apple TV Express units. Or you could buy one Apple TV Express and either one AirPort Extreme or one Time Capsule.

By the way, I agree with the other poster that if Apple introduces an Apple TV Express then it would be natural for AirPort Express and Time Capsule to also get revamped to include Apple TV functionalities. One step at a time, though. But yes, once there's an Apple TV Express there could also be a future Apple TV Extreme which would probably merge Apple TV and Time Capsule -- and also probably let the Apple TV part access all audio, video, and photo content backed up via Time Machine (security permitting). As for AirPort Extreme, perhaps that'd be a 0 TB version of Apple TV Extreme or maybe not exist at all. But yes, if Apple TV Express makes sense -- and I think it does -- then the Apple TV functions would also end up in some type of converged AirPort Express and Time Capsule products.

Integrate and simplify -- that's what Apple does. We'll see, but this sort of strategy would make a lot of sense.

plus it would not have to be next to your computer. It could just be used as an extender. I literally have an airport express (extending my range) sitting right below my appletv. That would not be reason for me to upgrade though...or most people for that matter.

 

[Hardtimes]

Eh. Couldn't really care less about the Apple TV. iTV, that's another story.

I agree, its far superior to Channel 4. I mean what other channel could produce something as timeless as 'A touch of Frost'?

 

[foodog]

Doesn't the Chromecast, that's 65% cheaper put the Apple TV to shame anyways, price-performance wise?

No, not even close.... at this point.

 

[osofast240sx]

Eh. Couldn't really care less about the Apple TV. iTV, that's another story. Doesn't the Chromecast, that's 65% cheaper put the Apple TV to shame anyways, price-performance wise?

It's obvious u have neither device or even had a demonstration. So did u just assume it was great because google put it on the market. I have basic time Warner cable w/ Internet, I must have turned on my cable box a total of five times since march.

 

[FlatlinerG]

This is good news. I doubt it would be any major refresh though, probably just updates for 802.11ac and a few other minor tweaks would be my guess. Either way, I intend on picking up another Apple TV this fall so an update would be welcomed.

Eh. Couldn't really care less about the Apple TV. iTV, that's another story. Doesn't the Chromecast, that's 65% cheaper put the Apple TV to shame anyways, price-performance wise?

Thanks for the laugh, that's always a good start to a morning. The Chromecast, while being cheaper, doesn't even come close to putting the AppleTV to shame. It can do what, Netflix and stream from Google Chrome? Oh boy! What an advancement!

 

[mrmarts]

I am buying an Apple TV tomorrow, the only things that will influence me taking it back is:

1. Ultra HD compatibility

2. The return of storage (in the form of flash)

3. Improved HDMI and USB ports and even the introduction of a thunderbolt 2 port to support 4k input however that is highly unlikely.

 

[malexandria]

Consistency!

How about just making the movie watching experience consistent across iTunes!? I just accidentally rented a movie on my MBP this weekend, only to discover the damn thing doesn't work on my AppleTV! WTH? You will never convince me that it's because it's "two separate" applications when every movie I PURCHASE on my MBP works on my Apple TV, but somehow RENTALS don't? Not only that but iTunes Extras for Movies doesn't even work on AppleTVs. It's RIDICULOUS.

 

[whsbuss]

My guess is 802.11ac, GB ethernet, 1GB memory, DTS audio support. If they intend to allow SDK and/or app store, then an A6/A7 chip. If this happens, the price point will most likely be $119.99

Just got an ATV3 last week, but depending on an announcement next week I can return it if there's something worthwhile.

 

[Lord Hamsa]

No, Apple abandoned that idea in 2010. They aren't going back. Anyone who wants to download and keep content can use a Mac or iPad or iPhone and then watch it on an Apple TV using Airplay.

Personally, I'd just be happy if they included an iTunes client again on the ATV, for those who have their libraries stored on NAS, to eliminate the need for a third device in that chain.

 

[foodog]

I love TiVo and have 4 of them..... but this marketing slick you copy and pasted leaves out some details

Cable solutions continue to become more compelling.

TiVo just released their next-generation "Roamio" DVR for cable+FiOS with the following features:

1. Blazing fast, IOS7-inspired 1080p user interface (much more fined than prior Tivo HD UI).

IOS7 inspired??? Have you seen IOS7?
The entire interface is NOT 1080p the vast majority is.
You and I have way different definintions of blazing fast. It is much faster most of the time, but still has lag issues. Its kind of like when they introduced the Flash based HD screens. Eventually, with software updates the HD screens worked great, but i went back to the SD menu for a long time on the TiVo premiere. I'm sure they will eventually fix the performance on the HTML5 menus too.

2. Six tuners to record 6 HDTV channels simultaneously at full quality.

3. Built-in 3TB capacity to store 450 HD hours, with support for an external drive.

# 2 only if you buy the second most expensive model (400.00), 3 if you buy the most expensive model. (600.00)

4. Full 1080p60 output for cable channels and streaming content.

5. Built-in gigabit ethernet, MoCA (150Mbps networking over coax), and 802.11n wireless (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz).

6. Traditional trick play functionality with replay, 30sec skip, fast forward, rewind, chapter skip, etc, when viewing live or recorded shows on the TiVo, TiVo mini extender, iPhone, and iPad.

7. With the Roamio, you can watch different high-definition recordings or liveTV channels on four iPads and iPhones, simultaneously, over your home WiFi network, without any extra equipment. You can watch one channel or recorded program on your TV, while, at the same time, others in your home watch different channels or recorded programs on four different iPads and/or iPhones, all in high-definition. All you need is the free TiVo IOS app, pictured below.


8. With a software update coming this fall, Roamio owners will be able to watch (stream) different high-definition recordings or liveTV channels on four different iPads and iPhones, simultaneously, over the Internet (I.e., away from home). It's like 4x HD Slingbox, built-in, with no awkward IR emitters. All you need is the free TiVO IOS app.

9. With the Roamio, you can download and save SD and HD versions of recordings directly from the DVR to your iPad or iPhone for viewing later (e.g., on a plane). All you need is the free TiVo IOS app, pictured below.

If the content creator allows you to... You will not be copying Game of Thrones to your iPhone.

10. Using the Roamio's gigabit ethernet port, you can download pristine high-definition recordings from the DVR to your computer at 200Mbps (i.e., a 1-hour high-definition recording downloads in about three minutes). Alternatively, you can download programs using the box's built-in 802.11n wireless or MoCa, which creates a 150Mbps network using the existing coax cabling in your home. No hacks are required; this is built-in functionality.

11. Multi-room functionality with TiVo Mini extenders: Each TiVo Mini can access all of the recordings stored on the Roamio using MoCA and your home's existing coax cables (no ethernet or wireless required). The TiVo Mini has a guide and displays live TV by accessing an unused tuner on the Roamio. TiVo added dynamic tuner allocation, so you no longer have to dedicate a tuner on the DVR to each Mini; when someone isn't watching liveTV on a Mini, the tuner is free for use by the DVR and/or another Mini and/or iPhone/iPad in your home.

You left off the part about the monthly charge of 6.00 per TiVo mini or the 150.00 lifetime subscription

12. Built-in support for Netflix, Amazon, Youtube, etc. streaming services.

13. If you purchase a lifetime subscription (pricey), there are no cable STB/DVR fees, ever.

 

[locust76]

Apple: We can't keep the lid on the new iPhones or iPads, but we'll make people rely on super sleuthing and shipping manifests for our other products!