Get ready: Rumors are flying that new hardware will be released for Apple TV this October. For those who don’t know too much about Apple TV, the third generation of the compact black box was released in March 2012. Unlike its second generation counterpart, the 2012 version supports 1080p video. Users can access their iTunes library, online podcasts, Netflix, YouTube, and the like. Apple TV also has Airplay, meaning that users can stream media and mirror their iPhone’s, iPod Touch’s, or iPad’s screen on the TV screen. A more recent software update allows Apple TV to support Bluetooth keyboards.
As far as this fall’s hardware refresh, sources say that we can anticipate an improvement to Airplay. Users will be able to “tell the Apple TV to play content … directly from the cloud” without having to log in. Any movies, podcasts, and other content a user has purchased on iTunes can be played from anyone’s Apple TV. Convenient? Definitely.
September 18th is an important date to keep in mind; along with iOS 7’s release, Apple TV is scheduled for an internal overhaul. On top of that, the new iTunes Radio service will be accessible to U.S. users that day as well. It is expected, though not certain, that a second Mac and OS X focused event will be held later in the fall. Hopefully, the hardware update for Apple TV launches then. Though there was an internal update last year, the hardware hasn’t really been updated since then, and a refresh is long due.
