Sorry Apple TV fans, you won’t be getting a new hardware version of your favorite little square hockey puck. But take heart, there could be a nice content bump coming your way…
Despite speculation about new Apple TV hardware on the way, Apple won’t be unveiling any new boxes next week, according to people familiar with the company’s plans.
OK, take time to digest that, and mull over the tragedy that is your life. Now, ready for some good news?
That said, the company will be tweaking the software inside its Web TV box. Apple has already said that it will be bringing its new iTunes Radio service to Apple TV. And it has been adding new content partners, including Disney and HBO, throughout the summer.
Alongside beta testing of iOS 7 and Mavericks this summer, Apple has also been testing new Apple TV software. The beta as tested offers support for iTunes Radio, allows users to purchase music directly from the iTunes Store on the device, and also includes a “Conference Room Mode” for business and academic settings, easier setup options, and multi-display support. (Editor’s Note – I’m as excited as a camel on Wednesday “Hump DAHYEE!”)
A new AirPlay feature is mentioned by AllThingsD, that I don’t recall having heard mentioned in the past:
Sources say that one new feature in the works will let people who’ve bought content from Apple play that stuff on other users’ Apple TVs, via Apple’s Airplay system. So if you’ve bought a TV show or movie from Apple’s iTunes store, you could watch it at a friend’s house, by calling it up on your iPhone, and telling your friend’s Apple TV to start streaming it.
Apple has been working to enhance the Apple TV’s offering, bringing a number of new “channels” on board lately, including: WatchESPN, HBO GO, Sky News, Crunchyroll, Quello, Vevo, the Smithsonian, and Disney. Rumors continue to pop up about content deals with The CW and Time Warner Cable being in the works, So it sounds like there are plenty of good things yet to come, even without a new device to lust after.
Using the *SWAG method of prediction, I’d say the Apple TV software update will debut alongside iOS 7, which should be released shortly. So… There’s that.
(*Scientific Wild-Assed Guess)
