The much-awaited and heavily-anticipated new Apple TV is finally coming this October, 2015. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Incorporated, said consumers can order the new video streaming device starting October 26. The new Apple TV will be available in 32 GB and in 64 GB models, respectively, and will start shipping next week. Pricing for both will be at $149.00 for the 32 GB unit and $199.00 for the 64 GB unit.
According to CNet, Apple TV will be providing a real app store similar to what Apple, Google, Microsoft, and others offer on their PCs, phones, and tablets. CNet also added that "universal apps" could be the norm of the new Apple streaming device. This means that once an app is bought, one can access that app either on the iPad, the iPhone, or the Apple TV.
Apple TV will likewise be running on a new OS, the TVOS, and promises it will be using similar developer tools that are existing already for Apple's mobile devices. A few of the apps to be offered will be the following, to wit: Zillow, AirBNB, Playkids, redesigned MLB.com app, and an online shopping site Gilt. On the gaming side, Apple TV will be presenting these for starters: Guitar Hero, Disney Infinity, Crossy Road, ShadowMatic, and many others.
Other innovative technologies Apple TV will carry are SIRI, cross-app search, touch remote, and, USB-C port. On the downside, Apple TV does not have an optical digital audio output and does not support 4K capability, CNet concluded.
Moving on with Apple TV, Apple appears to have already started accepting app and game submissions from its development community. Sam Byford of The Verge says the company is providing developers with guidelines for supporting major Apple TV features like touch-sensitive remote and layered parallax effect on app icons, to name a few.
And finally in the news, the US version of the new Apple TV will have a SIRI remote which is a black-top, silver-bottom navigation tool for the streaming device. Jeremy Horwitz of 9TO5Mac says the new remote will no longer have the ubiquitous four-direction navigation circle. It has been replaced instead with a small matte glass surface that can be used for swiping gestures and gentler positioning.
Horwitz further added that the glass can be pushed downwards for menu selections and that it actually clicks. He likewise mentions that gyroscope/accelerometer sensors are hidden inside the remote for future games.
The new UI of the new Apple TV can be navigated using SIRI commands while pushing down the remote's microphone button and speaking to it. Other notable additions from the new UI are Aerial screensavers presented in 1080p, new accessibility features for people with vision and hearing deficiencies, and integrated calibration screens that allow users to optimize output either for personal television or overscan preferences, Horwitz concludes.
The new Apple TV is assumed to be Apple Incorporated's response to challenges raised by many media streaming devices offering high-quality performance at reasonable prices. This innovative streaming media player might quickly win over many converts and is likely continue to impress many of its fan base. Its bevy of apps and innovations are known to be uniquely outstanding and they serve as testaments to what the new Apple TV can actually deliver to all streaming media fanatics.
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