As the blogosphere and Wall Street clamor over the snippets of 'news' leaking out about plans for the iPhone 6 and 'iWatch' wearable, both of which are expected to be big sellers, one of Apple's most successful products has been overlooked.
The Apple TV isn't as public as the other products. People have them at home and use them every day, but no one really talks about it with their friends. But with over 20 million units sold since 2007 ( 10 million in 2013 alone, and 80% year-over-year jump worth over one billion dollars), it's clear that it is in demand as more and more consumers cut the cable cord and turn to independent and web based content providers for their media.
We haven't seen an Apple TV hardware refresh in two years, so it makes sense that an updated device is likely on the horizon. Before we get into the release date specifics, let's take stock of the rumors surrounding new features and functions.
1. Live TV Streaming/DVR Capabilities
There is compelling, if not one hundred percent convincing, evidence that Apple is engaged in high level talks with Comcast about coordinating live television streaming and recording on any new Apple TV, which in this scenario would essentially become a cloud-based set-top box. These talks started with Time Warner, but have moved to Comcast since the two companies announced a merger. In an FCC document released during the merger process, Comcast flat out says Apple is 'exploring' the development of a set-top box.
The Wall Street Journal (link above) reports that the discussions are stalled over issues including how consumers would log in to the service, which company would control that data (BIG DATA!), and connection speed guarantees (basically, Apple TV streams would be part of a prioritized cable connection separate from the 'public' Internet). From an outside perspective, a collaboration seems like a win-win for both companies. Apple gets to offer live TV and DVR services and immediately become a power player in the in-flux television market (through media rights, hardware sales, etc), while Comcast attaches itself to a beloved global brand that stands in stark contrast for the abject hate often directed at cable providers.
2. Motion control
This rumor is also highly likely to turn out true. Apple acquired Israeli 3D sensor technology company PrimeSense, the team behind the original Xbox Kinect tech, in November 2013. And, as AppleInsider reported in early March, a bunch of camera-centric job positions were posted and filled on the Apple TV team:
'Job titles include Camera Algorithms Developer, Camera Tuning Framework Engineer, Media System Performance Engineer. Qualified candidates must have experience working with camera capture frameworks.'
So, cherish your remotes for a while more. Soon, it appears, they'll become a quaint artifact of the past. Although...
3. Touchscreen remote
Now this is a real rumor, totally unsubstantiated, but fun to consider. Even with motion sensing tech (and maybe Siri integration? Again, that's my thought, no evidence at all), it would be surprising if Apple ditched a physical control completely.
German online tech outlet Curved posted these awesome conceptual renderings of a touch screen remote. Even if it doesn't happen, at least we got to geek out!
4. Release ScheduleIn February, Bloomberg (link above) reported an April release date, which, though that timeline no longer seems likely, points to at least an announcement in the coming months. This past week, we received the strongest evidence yet in the form of a market research note from KGI Securities. Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at the firm, posted a note detailing KGI's confidence in a 2014 release, and shooting down the rumor of a full-fledged Apple-branded television set: 'Considering the high cost involved in creating a TV supply chain, we don't expect the iTV to debut before the TV ecosystem improve.' His note also included a 2014 product release roadmap (below) which, while rumor for now, fits with the information we have so far regarding the other products included.
Amidst the rumors, one thing is for sure: we will see multiple new hardware releases from Apple in 2014. And - will keep you in the (infinite) loop until the moment the announcements come.
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