Apple’s expected announcements at the “Hey Siri” event today included the Apple TV, which was long rumored, and a few details were leaked as well. The new Apple TV is finally announced, and it packs in quite a lot. The design is revamped, the internal hardware is improved and made faster, and the remote gets an update as well.
The new Apple TV features a new App Store built-in into the system, and that will allow third party developers to work on the software side and make the functionality better with apps.
Talking about the new Apple TV, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple said,
“It’s the golden age of television,” “Our vision for TV is simple and perhaps a little provocative. We believe the future of television is apps.”
Gaming is now possible on the new Apple TV. The new interface allows for gaming, and there are several games on-board already. The remote also sees an update, with a glass-touch surface layered over a set of buttons, and this will help the user glide through the interface with the touch. The remote has gyroscope, accelerometer, and it can be charged using a lightning adapter, while it might need a charge once every three months.
Siri, the assistant that has been working well on iOS, is a new inclusion in the interface of Apple TV, and there is a dedicated Siri button provided in the remote. Talking to a digital assistant is nothing new in the TV world, as Roku and Amazon already have them, but Siri is what Apple users might have got used to, already. Siri would also help skip forward or go backward in the video that is being played.
TV OS: This is a new OS for the Apple TV, based on iOS. The apps that were a part of the previous Apple TV, now are all redone to work with TV OS.
There are new screen savers also included in the Apple TV, which would feature HD footage shot by Apple. It would feature slow-motion videos, and the footage would be automatically changing based on the time of the day. The Apple TV app launch partners include Disney Infinity (Star Wars), Guitar Hero, Play Kids, Zova fitness, Madefire comics, and Airbnb.
Apple TV Pricing
- 32GB Apple TV: $149
- 64GB Apple TV: $199
The new Apple TV will be available from late october, and the developers can work on TV OS from today itself, as the beta version rolls out today.
