Apple today unveiled a Siri-enhanced Apple TV.
Voice controls are housed in a new remote; press the Siri button to give the virtual assistant a command. The remote also sports a touch surface for easy navigation through music, movies, and apps.
The new Apple TV arrives in October in 80 countries. A 32GB version will be $149 and the 64GB model will be $199; the existing $69 box will also remain on the market.
As expected, the new Apple TV will support universal search, so you can search across apps rather than opening them one by one to see if they have the movie you want. Initially, it will work with iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Showtime, but Apple promised to add more services later.
In a demo, Apple showed off some of Siri's tricks. Ask Siri to "show the Modern Family episode with Edward Norton," for example, and it will pull up the show page with it cued up to that episode.
To move through the show, place your finger on the touch surface and swipe through. You can also ask Siri to skip ahead or help you catch something you missed. If you say "what did she say?" Siri will skip back 15 seconds and temporarily turn on captions.
You can also ask Siri to show you action movies and then drill down to James Bond films and just the ones that star Sean Connery, as the remote supports searches by cast, director, date, and more.
If you need info while a movie is playing, swipe down from the top of the screen. You can also ask Siri about what's playing ("who stars in this?") or about the weather, and that info will pop up at the bottom of the screen. Swipe up for more, at which point Apple TV will pause the movie you're watching.
Apple also talked up high-definition video it shot for live-action screen savers on Apple TV, which will play day and night scenes depending on the time of day.
"We believe the future of television is apps," Tim Cook said during a launch event in San Francisco. So the new Apple TV includes access to iTunes, the App Store, Photos, Apple Music, and more.
Apple TV will run tvOS, an iOS-based operating system that is "built for the living room," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president for Internet services and software, so iOS games will be playable on Apple TV, like Crossy Road. Games will sync with other Apple devices, so you can start a game on the iPhone and pick up on your TV.
To encourage app creation for tvOS, Apple today launched a developer beta.
On the hardware side, Apple TV runs a 64-bit A8 chip. On the back, there are power, HDMI, and Ethernet ports. The remote communicates via Bluetooth, so you don't have to aim it at the box. Cue said the remote will last for three months on a single charge; when you need to juice up, plug it in via a Lightning connector.
Apple today also showed off the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, as well as the new iPad Pro.
Source: pcmag.com
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