Posted on Connected Internet - tech, mobile and gaming news.
Here’s more from Apple because obviously today seems to be a day for big Apple leaks and rumors. This piece of news comes from Digg co-founder Kevin Rose — he has apparently been hearing rumors about the Apple TV making a come back as iTV. Not only that, it will have a whole new look, new iAd Supported channels and the iPad as a remote! Now that’s what I call a revamp.
According to a weekend post by Kevin Rose, Apple might be releasing a new avatar of the Apple TV rebranded as iTV. It will have its own portion of the iTunes store and have media channels supported by iAd. Users can download ad supported content from the various TV stations and have Mobile Me integrated with the device to share photos and videos with friends and family.
If what the post says is true, then the hardware will also go through a revamp and will be running on the iOS mobile platform. It will then likely have a section of the app store dedicated to it where users can buy iTV specific apps (and services may be?). With the iOS in place, it will be much better suited to running on minimal hardware and maximum speed. It will also play well with other iOS devices; namely the iPad and the iPhone. And this is where comes another point — the iPad will apparently double up as a (rather large) remote for the iTV. Looks like the world of the couch potato just got a whole lot more futuristic.
Apple’s TV initiatives have always lacked that zing that most of their other products tend to have. Steve Jobs has been oft quoted for his famous line about the Apple TV being just a hobby. But as regular, conventional entertainment continues to move online with Apple’s products and services playing a large role in it, it would be illogical for Apple to let this opportunity to go by without capturing yet another market and revolutionizing it.
The TV has for too long been the proverbial idiot box and a lot of companies have been trying to change that over the years. First came the time delayed TV courtesy TiVo. And then as technology matured, online streaming became a reality. TV episodes began appearing online — first illegally and then for paid download. After a lot of false starts from many companies, Hulu came up became an instant hit. So traditional TV content has constantly been moving on with the ages and this is the right time for Apple to take this step.
With the new iTV running the iOS and having iAD supported channels, the solution might be a good one for the consumer. It will entail attaching the iTV to your TV and instantly being greeted with a host of online TV content. That is of course only if Apple is successful in using their influence to crack lucrative deals with the usually tight-fisted and non-progressive media houses. As with music online, proper and easy availability online is often a good way to reduce piracy and generate more sales. As the CD dies a silent death, the DVD already seems to have one foot in the grave with the advent of HD streaming and downloads.
Kevin also mentioned Google TV coming up next year and said that it too would be quite exciting. iTV might be launched in September at the annual iPod-centric and will be priced at $99 apparently.
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