The New York Times, citing the ever popular “sources with knowledge of Apple’s plans,” says Apple’s next-generation Apple TV will be controlled via a touch-based remote with a revamped design.
Described as being “slightly thicker” than the current version, the new Apple TV remote will gain a “touch pad” that will be used for scrolling, along with two physical buttons.
The touch pad-based remote will likely use the touch pad to replace the circular click-wheel control that is on the current remote.
It is likely that the new touch pad would operate much like the current Apple Remote app, available for the iPhone and Apple Watch, allowing for swipe-based control of navigating through the content available on the Apple TV.
The New York Times’ source says the new remote will be similar in size to the remote control used for Amazon’s Echo personal assistant/speaker. That remote is approximately 0.6 inches thick. The current Apple TV remote is 0.2 inches thick. The Apple TV remote has not been redesigned since its release alongside the second-generation Apple TV in 2010.
A new Apple TV is widely expected to debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Rumors indicate the new device will boast an A8 processor, expanded on board storage, Siri, and an App Store.
