All Articles Tagged apple tv

MacRumors is reporting that Apple has sent out an email alerting customers to an urgent Apple TV 3.0.1 update to address an issue involving disappearing content. I haven’t received the email myself yet, nor am I home to check (and I stream all my content anyway), but in case any of you on Apple TV 3.0 are affected, here’s the letter they posted:

Dear Customer,

If you’ve installed the Apple TV 3.0 software update, you should immediately update to version 3.0.1. This prevents content from temporarily disappearing until it is resynced.

To update your Apple TV software:

1. Reboot your Apple TV (unplug the power cord and plug it back in)
   
2. Select Settings > General from the main menu
   
3. Select Update Software
   
4. Select Download and Install
   

Note: Your Apple TV will conduct a restart, which is followed by the Apple logo and a status bar.

For more information, please refer to this article: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3116

If you need further assistance with your Apple TV, contact AppleCare. Sincerely,

Apple TV Team

Let us know how it works for you!

It still baffles us how iTunes LP and iTunes Extras content — which was introduced in the seemingly Apple TV-ideal 720p format — wasn’t compatible with the new Apple TV 3.0 software to begin with. In fact, we’ve gotten Wall-E with iTunes Extras to play on our Apple TV already. But according to Apple, it’s now really for real compatible…

With the latest versions of iTunes (9.0.2) and Apple TV software (3.0), you can now use iTunes Extras on your Apple TV. We have updated iTunes Extras that were included with the movie Wall-E so that they can now be viewed on Apple TV in addition to your Mac or PC. It is available for you to download now, free of charge.

So begins an email Apple sent out to iTunes LP and iTunes Extras purchasers today, which follows up with download and update instructions. (And even a knowledge base article — Updating iTunes Extras and iTunes LP content for your Apple TV).

We’re downloading that new version of Wall-E now and will report back on what, if anything, looks different (any chance of a better UI for Extras?)

Still, we’re left to wonder — where’s the love for iPhone users, Apple? Could it be you’re prepping a new interface for them for iPhone 3.2? We’ll wait — if it’s worth it!

Apple TV 3.0 (or Apple TV 3, or Apple TV Take 3) is the just-released third version of Apple’s and Steve Jobs’ “hobby”. And, for good or for ill, its latest feature-set seems designed to keep iTunes’ living room gateway as niche as ever. That’s not to say it isn’t good, because it is (though it does have problems we’ll get into below), but it’s certainly not great. Not yet. And we’re beginning to wonder if Apple (now or ever) even wants it to be?

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As rumored, Apple just announced Apple TV 3.0, with an all new interface and support for iTunes LP and iTunes Extras.

“The new software for Apple TV features a simpler and faster interface that gives you instant access to your favorite content,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services. “HD movies and HD TV shows from iTunes have been a huge hit with Apple TV customers, and with Apple TV 3.0 they get great new features including iTunes Extras, Genius Mixes and Internet radio.”

It also looks like Apple has (finally!) done right and — like every other product — moved user content above for-sale content. That’s right, it looks like our videos and music, and not iTunes Store stuff, is on top, baby!

I’m downloading it now and will be back later with my thoughts, but if you’re already rocking it, roll a comment our way and let us know what you think!

(And Apple, where’s our Front Row update?)

MacRumors has been tipped that users attempting to make purchases in iTunes today are being greeted with new Terms of Service (TOS) which include the following, tantalizing line:

The Terms of Sale have been revised to clarify that you can now use iTunes LPs and iTunes Extras on Apple TV with software version 3.0 or higher.

Apple TV was introduced in 2006 and re-introduced alongside the original iPhone at Macworld 2007. It was bumped to OS 2.0 at Macworld 2008 when video rentals were introduced. Then… incremental updates only. The debut of iTunes LP and iTunes Extras at the Apple 2009 Music Event, in their Apple TV-friendly 720p format hinted at an update, and now let’s hope Apple is finally ready to deliver it. (Along with their fancy new remote?)

Let’s also hope Mac OS X’s Front Row, currently languishing with an Apple TV 1.0 era interface gets a similar upgrade. Beyond 2.0 for real parity would be nice, especially considering the Mac Mini is marketed, in part, as an entertainment center. Right Apple?

Is Apple planning a larger, touch-screen enabled remote control to go along with a next generation Apple TV? Boy Genius‘ tipster, the same one who leaked iTunes 9 app organization and social integration, says yes indeed. And if the image above is accurate, one of the updates will be — Safari. (No sign of Apps yet, though…)

Would this really be a lower-cost option to something like the Remote App for iPhone and iPod touch, which could conceivably do anything a dedicated remote could do and more? (Actually, adding Bluetooth to an Apple TV for more persistent, don’t have to wait for WiFi to reconnect, iPhone remote would be even better!)

Along those lines, we don’t see Apple investing this much in a single-purpose remote control, even if it can control Macs, docked iPods, etc. as well, given what they’re doing with the iPhone platforms, but stranger things have happened.

You want?

With Apple consolidating its Apple TV offerings this morning down to a single 160GB SKU at a lower $229 price point, we’re once again split between Apple axing their “hobby” or giving it a much-needed refresh.

If Apple does axe the Apple TV, however, something would need to take its place in the living room. Could that something be the iPhone 3GS and iPod touch G3 and the still-mythic iTablet? Dock them properly to an HD TV, and could you have a solution with one heck of a built in controller?

We know the iPhone (and likely new iPod touch) can support 720p and 1080p out. We even hoped Apple would flip the switch on that feature last week in order to better position themselves competitively against the about-to-ship Zune HD. They could still flip it at some point, however, along with introducing new HDMI-based video output cables.

This would go a long way towards showing iPhone and iPod touch content on the big screen, but right now one of the Apple TV’s strengths is streaming rather than just storing and showing. You can attach an Apple TV to your HD TV and, without any local content, stream all the iTunes media you have on your Mac or Windows PC, and the potentially 2TB drives that can now attach to those (or more with RAID, Drobo, etc.)

Neither iPhone nor iPod have ethernet, and both are stuck on the older, slower 802.11g Wi-Fi standard (though the iPod touch G3 might be updatable to 802.11n).

That’s where an iTablet, presumably with much beefier internals and faster Wi-Fi (though we still doubt ethernet) comes in. Apple could position it as a dock-at-home, take it with you on-the-go solution.

Of course, whether you’d want to lock your iTablet to a TV rather than using it to surf and chat while watching TV is debatable, and could be a deal-breaker for many. Though better that than just trying to up-sell everyone to a Mac Mini…

Looking at it this way, it seems that even in an iPhone, iPod touch, and perhaps iTablet world, there’s still a place for an Apple TV in the lineup. If only for now.

Speaking of Apple TV and the future, MacRumors reports that Apple’s “hobby” lost its smaller SKU this morning as the 40GB Apple TV was cut from the Apple Store — and Apple product lineup — and the 160GB Apple TV was given a healthy price cut down from $329 to $229 [Apple Store link].

So our question becomes, is this a sign of Apple TV’s slow slide to oblivion, or just a clearing of the deck before a long, long, long overdue update?

Storage aside, the Apple TV hardware has been unchanged since it was announced back in 2006 and then launched at Macworld 2007 alongside the introduction of the iPhone. The software received minor 1.x bumps before getting the minor 2.x bumps — mostly in keeping with iTunes and QuickTime updates.

Of course, with iTunes 9 and Snow Leopard’s QuickTime X both being fairly significant updates this time around, no doubt another software bump is on its way… Could there finally be some new hardware coming with it?

We’ll keep our hopes up, but we’ve learned to live with anticipointment…

Apple Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Peter Oppenheimer, spoke with analyst Robert Cihara of Caris & Company recently, and according to AppleInsider, revealed the following:

• Apple is still struggling to meet to demand for the iPhone 3GS, and with China coming on board soon, that may be a longer term problem (it was still sold out when I checked a couple of local (Canadian) places last week).

• There’s no plans for an Apple TV that would record cable or satellite as it doesn’t fit Apple’s current business plans (though one may wonder if there is, still and in fact, a plan for the “hobby” Apple TV device?)

Caris further predicted 27 million iPhones would be sold in 2009. Exciting number, that, and the graph above shows how important it’s becoming to Apple’s bottom line.

New Apple TV’s, whether it simply be a small bump to the internals (CPU, storage, etc.) or the mythical, rainbow and unicorn-tear soaked Apple PVR, are the latest rumours circulating in advance of Apple’s iTunes and iPod touch special music event, “It’s only rock and roll, but we like it“, scheduled for September 9.

Since TV’s aren’t rock and roll, odds are we aren’t going to see anything major in that — admittedly aging — product SKU, but since they do serve as an iTunes Music conduit, maybe Apple’s hobby might just get swept up in the song?

Most of this chatter comes again from analysts, so we’ll assuredly have to wait and see. Or we could just run a poll and see what you think…