Apple’s Widget, iChat patent app hints at Apple TV’s future

“The release of the Apple TV 2.0 marked the promotion of the device upwards from its previous ‘hobby’ status. And while the update for existing models still isn’t finished, it’s never to early to look ahead at what Apple might have in store for the device in the future. One hint about future features (trying saying that 10 times fast) comes from a recent Apple patent application, which discusses widgets for a multimedia center,” Justin Berka writes for Ars Technica.

“Certain widgets could be downloaded and associated with specific types of TV programming, meaning that if you’re watching MTV, your Apple TV might offer you a way to buy music from the iTunes Store that has associated songs. Sports broadcasts could have statistics displayed in a floating widget, and there’s even the possibility of live iChat sessions being displayed on your Apple TV,” Berka writes.

Full article here.

22 Comments

  1. Hrrm, an apple patent that involves live TV…. I’m all for Apple invading the live TV space. As I’ve argued before, until they have a complete video entertainment solution (live TV AND movie/TV downloads, podcast downloads) the Apple TV is not for me (and a good chunk of other people too).

    Conventional wisdom said “Apple will never get into this space, its too messy, yadda, yadda,…” This is the first hint that conventional wisdom may just be wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time.

  2. look, the only thing this proves is that Apple is actually working on the actually “TV” AppleTV. remember the patent for millions of pixeled video being reshaped into the picture being veiwed from the screen? That is what is in the works here folks. Apple is going to bring our living rooms and bedrooms the total minority report thing. Or the Space balls thing, that was funny when Mel Brooks was pissing and the chick came on the screen, he actually let go of his gear to hail. How funny that movie was, is.

  3. I hope this portends an overhaul of the Dashboard subsystem. It, sadly, appears to be largely untouched in Leopard. So much more could be done with Dashboard in OS X. Hello? Dashboard Spaces? The idea is practically a no-brainer.

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