The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) recently received “an e-mail from an anonymous Apple reseller, stating that they received an e-mail from Apple with instructions to remove all Apple TV displays and literature and to destroy them (which I assume means throw away the literature, send back the Apple TVs) by September 30, 2008 at 5 PM. Additionally, the e-mail says that there will be a webcast ‘kick off’ on September 30,” Christina Warren reports for TUAW.
“Could this potentially be the introduction of the Mini/Apple TV hybrid we’ve all been begging for? Is this related to the rumors of “The Brick?” Warren wonders.
Full article here.
[Attribution CNET. Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “DLMeyer” for the heads up.]
This would be great I guess, maybe it is a hybrid Mini with Apple TV on board, as well as Blu-Ray.
I really hope they announce the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros at the same time, they’ll be just past the return deadline for the Back to School promo…
I got the dreaded logic board problem on my 2nd gen MBP, so I’m going to get a new machine.. Woo Hoo! Can’t wait… I know it’s only a rumor at this point.
I got tired of dealing with mine – never turning off, always needing the computer to be on to use it, limited options for getting content on it (ALL QT files should be playable – not just the ones that work in iTunes!!!)). It now sits unused most of the time.
But what always struck me as the biggest thing that Apple over looked? Easy recording of video. I don’t care what Apple (or it’s fanbois) think the future should look like; I’ve been easily and cheaply recording free TV since VCRs became affordable in the early 80s, and I’ve been wanting to reduce clutter on my media center stand since the mid-90s. So this new & improved AppleTV better have a built in DVR, capable of getting at least free over-the-air HDTV signals. Otherwise any ‘major makeover’ is just freshening up what the current box is/does, and right now it doesn’t do enough.
I want an all-in-one solution – clear off my shelves – and that means DVR first & foremost. And my second suggestion would be an upconverting DVD player (BluRay is a flash in the pan – HD downloads are the future). Hope Apple is listening.
Magic Word is “perhaps” … hmmm
First of all, it was my understanding that AppleTV never ‘lost money’. It just didn’t sell well when compared to the Mac, iPod and iPhone. Considering the dismal movie selection on ITS over the past few years, it actually sold quite well.
Second, this might explain why NBC came running back to ITS without getting any of their concessions. Maybe Apple showed them this ‘mystery device’ and that was enough to convince them to drop everything and get on board.
Good news. I’ve been dying to get one of these and my patience is about to pay off.
Now if I can just pretend to be a bank and get the govt to pay off my 600K mortgage, I’ll be able to afford one.
i love my AppleTV. it changes my way to watch tv….. but it will be nice to see new hardware and software update.
“it will be nice to see new hardware and software update.”
This thing’s been an embarrassment for Apple, a failed attempt to open up a new line of business. Who says there’s an update? They may just be cancelling it.
Apple doesn’t schedule webcasts to hype major revisions to product lines.
Yeah no kidding, jowo. I cancelled cable TV and NetFlix over a year ago, and only use AppleTV to watch movies and TV shoes. We have several AppleTVs, each hooked up to a different TV. I’ve never missed the lack of a video input.
I don’t want BluRay either. What I really want in an AppleTV is an app store like the iPhone app store. I want to be able to download video games for the AppleTV.
I, like many others, have loved mine… purchased the day they were announced. The problem is ~ the average Joe has never heard of AppleTV. There was an initial commercial which I thought did an excellent job of showing how it fit into the digital lifestyle, but that way back in April of ’07. If this ‘hobby’ of Apple’s goes the way of the Dodo it’s due to nothing less than their lack of support through advertising.
But hopefully… our beloved AppleTV’s will undergo another transformation rather than the death it never deserved.
um, do you realize what day it is?
no invites ..
If Apple does not research, develop, manufacture, distribute, and market the exact product and/or service that suits my entertainment preferences and/or whims, they are ignorant and stupid, and will shortly go out of business.
Don´t expect a apple tv/mini hybrid because this are 2 complete different devices with different tasks at a different price point. A apple tv will be a living room device for playback content from your computer network and the internet and will be underpowered for regular computing tasks. The Intel CE3100 Canmorechip will perfectly fit for a new apple tv, it ist cheap to built because of its SoC Design, it have a low power consumption for always on use but you never want that chip run your computer.
Maybe apple tv have some media server functionality and will support external storage and a optical drive but remember, a apple tv will stay a ipod for your television.
It has also been told that marketing materials need to be removed because agreements for photos of certain TV-shows on these will end on Sept 30. So there could be just new dispays/literature coming, not new device. Bu I very much hope that Apple will update both hardware and software before holiday season and drop the price also in Europe (the reduction in US in the beginning of year wasn’t applied in other countries)
i personally love my appletv. it has changed the way we watch television. we have the lord of the rings trilogy and star wars episodes 1 through 6 on dvd, but it’s so much easier to watch it from any where on the system.
my only 2 complaints have been the inability to turn it off and the need for it to play other video formats, divx in particular.
In terms of sales, they would have sold a lot more if they had included divx playback and supplied an SVIDEO output to the machine.
Blue-ray? Meh! The future is a box untethered.
addendum:
Wish list:
1. Ability to stream from a NAS.
and/or:
2. Open up the usb slot so that an additional drive can be placed.
3. Allow the machine to play different formats.
If I had a decent TV instead of the 25″ piece of crap that I have I may have invested in an TV.
As it is, I am glad I didn’t and I look forward to seeing what comes out on Tuesday, if anything.
Absolutely love my AppleTV … I was going to buy one for my parents for X-Mas… Maybe they’ll get mine and I’ll get the new one!
The iTouch/iPhone ‘Remote’ app has been a big success for Apple.
Allowing developers to release their iPhone app for aTV should also bring in a new revenue stream. Apple can do this by installing the developer runtime on the aTV and recompiling the app. The app is running on the aTV but the input controller is via the iTouch/iPhone wirelessly.
Now if Apple did this right you could buy the one app through iTunes for use on the iPhone, the Mac and the aTV.
Go to sleep. All of you.
So much for that hobby.
The licensing for their advertising expires, that’s it. Something new may be coming, but not because of this.
Just another Brick in the Wall: Apple building what windoze can’t.
Desperate M$, when you can’t build stuff you break it! Silly M$ folks, remember: NO WALLS = NO WINDOWS!!
since I got my PS3 and medialink I have rarely used the Appletv, i’d really like to see some more functionality in the thing
@rickw
“my only 2 complaints have been the inability to turn it off and the need for it to play other video formats, divx in particular.”
You can turn it off by holding the Play button on the remote down for a few seconds.
“Open up the usb slot so that an additional drive can be placed.”
that is all i care about. people who don’t have it/can’t figure out what it is for can complain, but only complaint so far is a) i need at least 2 terrabytes and b) my wife rents WAY too many movies.
….and it is still cheaper than cable.