Apple TV has been out for a while, and it hasn’t done much for users. It’s never been the best device and when compared to the usual Apple fare it feels cheap and underdone. Following the Apple announcement of its new range, Apple TV looks set to have a new life. The vision of Apple is that apps are the future of television, and the Apple TV is set to bring its range of apps on to in home screens. The remote is also updated and features Siri for voice searching across your various content providers.
The chip inside Apple TV is the A8, and this runs the new tvOS. The tvOS is based on Apple’s iOS, and developers will be able to create apps for this device that will enhance the viewing experience televisions are capable of. New games and apps will come through the Apple TV App Store on the television for users to browse and download. For developers, Apple is releasing a tvOS SDK with tools and APIs to give them the ability to create new ways to watch programs and be entertained by television.
The remote is a change in direction for remotes. Remotes are usually simple, even if they have a lot of confusing buttons. The Siri Remote is a leap forward in remote technology. Users will be able to browse through the collections of content providers all at once using their voice. Users will be able to ask for movie titles, actor names, producers and the like through the remote and have all the options come up on the screen in front of them. The search results will put together all your content providers giving you a comprehensive list of what’s available to you.
There will be a glass touch surface on the Siri Remote. Big, sweeping movements and small, accurate movements will be read by the screen allowing users to scroll and interact with their screens in a different way. Developers will be able to see what apps they can design that take into account the possibilities of the Siri Remote for gaming and entertainment apps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGe66lSeSXg
The new Apple TV comes out at the end of October. The 32GB model is $149, and the 64GB model is $199. Developers can download a new Xcode beta that has the tvOS SDK and can ask for an Apple TV developer kit.
Source: Apple
