With September 10th fast approaching and Apple now officially confirming that it will hold an event on that date, all the focus and attention is squarely on what will be announced at the company's Cupertino HQ. Up until now all the talk has been about the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, both of which are expected to be shown off publicly for the first time on the 10th, with a release happening less than two weeks later. But there may be more to it than that.
Yesterday, Apple TV added several new services to its roster, including the Disney Channel, VEVO and the Smithsonian Channel, among a plethora of others. Continuing in that vein, sports fans today get their fill with the news that WatchESPN's content - which was a part of Apple TV 5.3 update - has been expanded once more, brining both ESPNews and ESPN Deportes to the fore. With a wide selection of ESPN services already available through Apple TV even before this update, the Apple set-top is really growing in its appeal to the sports lovers, and with both ESPNews and ESPN Deportes also hitting the WatchESPN app for iOS, those on the iPhone and iPad can also join in the fun.
Apple TV was once looking like a forgotten device. Once famously dubbed a "hobby" by then COO Tim Cook, the little black box has not seen much love inside Cupertino, let alone outside. Yet, while the talk of a more strenuous connected TV effort remains on the lips of many an analysts, the fruit company is pressing ahead with updates and improvements to the current generation, and now, enhancing its functionality looks to be squarely on the agenda. The latest Apple TV beta suggests music purchasing will soon become a native feature, and with Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity facilitating new setup features via iOS 7, there still appears to be plenty of life left in the set-top streamer.
Netflix first showcased its individual user profiles feature at this year's E3, and now, the implementation looks to be finally trickling out to some users Apple TV. The official rollout period is said to be August, but with just a couple of days until the month is reached, several readers have reported profiles as popping up on their Apple-made set-top box.
Nintendo's Wii was undoubtedly popular thanks to one game, and that's Wii Tennis. It was the game we all played with our families, and it was the game that everyone used to demonstrate what the Wii was capable of. Back when motion gaming was very much in its infancy, Wii Tennis was something that really caught the eye.
The Apple TV, in the big bad world of set-top boxes, is somewhat limited in terms of what it can offer a user, and although the fruit company is continually updating the software and striking deals with various big providers, there's still a strong consensus that in order to get the most out of the little black box, you're best off jailbreaking.
Apple TV has managed to transcend beyond being just a little "hobby" device for the Cupertino based company, and now finds itself as one of the company's main media-based consumer products. Although, the intelligent little black box is powered by a modified version of iOS, it doesn't have all of the same functionality that we see on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, such as almost unlimited third-party apps that can be accessed through the App Store. Apple has managed to thrash out deals with various high profile companies to bring their content to the media device, but there are still some services - like Plex - that aren't supported much to the distress of some users.
The talk of Apple releasing its own television set never seems to cease, and according to a report from the famously hit-and-miss Digitimes, the Cupertino may be plotting an Ultra High-Definition, 4K resolution effort. The report has cited unidentified supply chain sources in stating that Apple is planning a TV set boasting a resolution of 3840 x 2160 - a mighty step-up from the current, 1080p HD displays in the majority of households. It will be the company's first connected TV set, and the Digitimes report also goes on to suggest that voice and motion control will be supported.
Taking previous releases of Apple's little black box into consideration, it's actually rather difficult to get that excited about the prospect of a spec-bumped Apple TV. Apple's utterances of a "minor" refresh appeared confirmed when it was revealed last year that the next device would sport an A5 processor. Despite this, software files for the new device appeared to indicate it would house an A5X chip, but any hope of that would now seem diminished by MacRumors' confirmation, with the Apple blog having disassembled and scrutinized one of the new units.
Apple may be set to focus on the Apple TV set top box once more, with the news the company is asking engineers to apply for a new role within the team that works on the little slab of loveliness.
