Apple TV is coming back and it will most definitely be the best it has ever been. Engadget has received a tip that the new Apple TV will tie in greatly with Apple's mobile offerings--think iPad and iPhone. Additionally, rumors are circulating that the innards of the device will greatly emulate that of the iPhone 4, meaning it might come equipped with an A4 processor and a smaller amount of flash storage--more like a very limited 16GB. The new Apple TV will also be capable of a full 1080p, and the size of the device is actually quite small with only a power socket and a video out.
The reason that the device will have such a tiny amount of internal storage is because Apple is looking to move its loyal patrons into the clouds, with a cloud-based storage system that can instantly play videos in 1080p. The new Apple TV will also eliminate the slim version of OS X and adopt the iPhone operating system for an easier experience with the device, though there is no word on whether or not the App Store will follow with it.
The real kicker is that the device is only going to cost $99, which should make it accessible to just about anyone willing stay locked in with iTunes for their media. There will be no official Apple TV news at WWDC, though we're definitely looking forward to what Apple has in store for our televisions.
Hubbard
June 01, 2010 at 1:58pm
I've been spending a lot of time thinking about this product, and if they allow enough local storage to cache enough content for each piece of media they could provide enough buffer to give consumers a great experience. I would like Apple to consider an option to hang some additional storage off this box for personal content like photos and home movies. I do not want my personal content being managed by Apple. As far as the box handling 1080p, I would say Apple better include more than 16GB of local storage so that consumers can build a huge library of media. I would hope to see at least 250GB of flash memory to ensure users a seamless experience.
As far as the DJR12's comment about wanting to manage all his storage locally, I don't think hes though about the average consumer who isn't interested managing a data center in his home! As we head toward HD content it wont be uncommon for people to own 20 to 50TB's worth of content! When you take RAID protection of that content into account you could be looking at a very complex management scenario that will turn these consumers off in a hurry.
The beauty of Apple is their pursuit of simplicity, and by taking the management out of the home, they stand a great chance of owning the content delivery market.
DJR12
May 28, 2010 at 7:36pm
I mean, network storage has its uses, and Dropbox is awesome and all that (though the local/cloud sync is a big part of the reason why), but why on earth would I want to take something that could be a local network experience and make it dependent on my cable co. not throttling my internet downloads? If I buy a movie, I'd like to have it here on my own equipment, thanks. I have downloaded/streamed movies from amazon and netflix and many others, and the experience just isn't as good as............................. buffering, stand by.................... watching the movie locally.
