All though this year and last, we heard plenty of rumours about the subsequent Apple TV, and they went from the simple to absurdly ridiculous. Perhaps the most evident is that Apple's next home-theater box would support 1080p video, but the one that shocked us the most is the notion the company would release an HDTV set with an inbuilt Apple TV. At the time, we reported the rumour as surprisingly unlikely, but we wouldn't expect the company to continue with constricting, old habits since its founder, Chief Executive and top visionary died late last year.
Clearly, a set-top box is the most efficient vehicle of media distribution for Apple in the living and bed rooms. To release an HDTV would severely limit Apple TV sales since most people use diverse display sizes and display devices to consume media, and those devices change according to varied factors during the day. A set-top box is an inexpensive, one-size-fits-all solution that gives the purchaser the freedom to select his own display device/size, and it forces TV manufactures to take on the expensive burden of selling low-profit margin products, AKA TVs.
Well, it seems like the Apple we all know and love is still alive and kicking since the new Apple TV is everything it needs to be and little more, and that's been Apple's approach to iOS-based products like the Apple TV since the debut of the iPhone. Like the prior Apple TV, this one features access to the iTunes media store, so that you can rent and buy music, pictures and TV episodes as you like.
Though you don't need the new Apple TV hardware to milk this next feature, the latest software update to iOS and the Apple TV interface adds the ability to stream any media you get through iTunes to any Apple device from Apple's servers. That implies you do not have to store any media you purchase from iTunes on your devices as long as you have a healthy net connection on hand. This a great feature for Apple's set-top box since it does not ship with any built-in storage, so you can't store your media on it.
Of course, you can still download and locally store any acquired media on your Mac, and you'll stream that stored media through your home network to any Apple devices. That's been the solution for users so far, but Apple's new streaming services are another great way to access your content irrespective of where you are.
The 2012 Apple TV ships mid March, and you can pre-order it right now.
Clearly, a set-top box is the most efficient vehicle of media distribution for Apple in the living and bed rooms. To release an HDTV would severely limit Apple TV sales since most people use diverse display sizes and display devices to consume media, and those devices change according to varied factors during the day. A set-top box is an inexpensive, one-size-fits-all solution that gives the purchaser the freedom to select his own display device/size, and it forces TV manufactures to take on the expensive burden of selling low-profit margin products, AKA TVs.
Well, it seems like the Apple we all know and love is still alive and kicking since the new Apple TV is everything it needs to be and little more, and that's been Apple's approach to iOS-based products like the Apple TV since the debut of the iPhone. Like the prior Apple TV, this one features access to the iTunes media store, so that you can rent and buy music, pictures and TV episodes as you like.
Though you don't need the new Apple TV hardware to milk this next feature, the latest software update to iOS and the Apple TV interface adds the ability to stream any media you get through iTunes to any Apple device from Apple's servers. That implies you do not have to store any media you purchase from iTunes on your devices as long as you have a healthy net connection on hand. This a great feature for Apple's set-top box since it does not ship with any built-in storage, so you can't store your media on it.
Of course, you can still download and locally store any acquired media on your Mac, and you'll stream that stored media through your home network to any Apple devices. That's been the solution for users so far, but Apple's new streaming services are another great way to access your content irrespective of where you are.
The 2012 Apple TV ships mid March, and you can pre-order it right now.
About the Author:
Fausto Mendez is the editor of ReleaseDates.co, a free website and subscription service that updates its readers only about the gadgets and brands they wish to know about.
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