“What do people imagine will happen to the Apple TV? They imagine it will be renamed the iTV and run iOS, the same OS that runs the iPad, the iPhone and the iPod touch,” Seibold writes. “The benefits of such a change are immediately obvious. Apple will sell more apps, people already know how to use iOS so there is no learning curve and Apple can make everything more integrated. The idea is perfection encapsulated, a no brainer, the easiest move in the world, right?”
Seibold writes, “How do you use any of the apps? How do you fire up, say, the Weather app? In iOS you touch it. Chances are your TV doesn’t have a touch sensitive screen. So you can’t launch the app by touching it… In short, expecting Apple to come up with some kludge to make a remote act like your finger on your non-touch screen TV is too much to ask.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Devil’s Advocate disclaimer: Apple iTV requires Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch or optional Apple iTV Multi-Touch Remote for iTunes App Store app use. iTV works best with iPad, but also works well with an iPhone, iPod touch or Apple iTV Multi-Touch Remote (sold separately).
It seems rather stupid to me to gripe about what one imagines an unannounced product is going to be like. Apple’s very good at UI design; there’s no reason to think they’re going to botch it in the next version of any of their products.
-jcr
I currently don’t use my original Apple TV remote. I use either of the four iPhones in my house or my iPad. It’s very intuitive and there is no more where is the remote crap. I put the Apple remote app on my wife, daughter and sons iPhones. They all knew how to use it without any form of tutorial from me. So it should be simple to do if there is an iOS interface for the Apple TV.
Some just don’t get it. It’s an Eco system. iTV won’t need it’s own remote (or retro-fitted 40″-60″ touch screen).
Apple TV hasn’t caught my wallet in the past, bit something tells me it will this time!!!
I can’t wait to use my iPad to control my TV.
I had the same thought a few days ago. Putting a touch-based OS on a non-touch screen seems just as disingenuous as putting a full PC OS on a phone or tablet. Now, with a multitouch remote? Still seems like that would be a bit cumbersome, but Apple could definitely pull it off gracefully by some means that we probably haven’t thought of yet (there’s a reason that they’re Apple engineers and we’re not). I guess we’ll find out Wednesday.
Why does this asswipe moron even write such a ridiculous piece of shit article? He gets the dumbass award for the week.
Seibold, you imbecile, you couldn’t get flipping burgers right you so damn stupid.
Duhhhh, duhhhhh, ummm, like, you know, like, like, ummmm, apps wont work on a, you know, ummmmm like, like a TV. Ummmm.
So the author is apparently unaware that almost any Apple handheld product can act as a touchpad for iTV? Amazing!
How do you watch anything at all on the TV? It doesn’t have a screen, touch or not. And having to own a TV separately is just outrageous!
¬¬
So this doofus guesses what Apple may do in the future, then guesses again on how they will execute what he guesses they will do, then proclaims that his guesses are a bad idea.
Is that about right?
John C Randolph has an excellent point that is constantly overlooked by many, many people. Apple is great at UI design.
“I have no imagination, no experience and can’t figure it out; therefore I pronounce the next product rumored as a failure.”
Apple will not design a UI that requires a cursor on the screen. If you’ve ever run iPhone apps with the emulator on the Mac using a mouse, you will realise quickly that this is sub optimal and not something that Apple will do.
The writer needs to use his imagination and remember that just because the device uses iOS, it doesn’t have to use a touch UI. Both the Mac OS and iOS use different UIs but are essentially the same underneath (but with the unnecessary stuff removed for iOS)
The author inadvertently made the case for an Apple TV running iOS:
“Designing for touch instead of mouse click goes a lot deeper than replacing your finger with a cursor. Let’s use Flight Control (a popular game for iOS) as an example. The idea behind Flight Control is that you direct various aircraft to land at specific spots using your finger. It works great on an iOS device where you can use your fingers, but it would be horrible trying to direct the planes with a mouse from across the room.”
If he could just think outside the box and imagine using an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch as the controls for a Flight Control app on a TV, he’d see how the idea is truly smashing.
Let’s see who is more famous for carefully crafted good ideas rather than bad ideas, Steve Jobs or Chris Seibold?
Seems like writing a review bashing an Apple product before you’ve actually seen it, is kind of a very bad idea.
He’s got a decent point, but couldn’t iTV jsut come with something like a Wii remote?
He is just a click whore, writing something stupid to get the apple masses mad, then getting a lot of hits because it pisses everyone off. I think MacDailyNews should pull the link because its not reporting, its just playing the web hits game.
iPad will obviously be the best way to interact with it (especially when browsing for shows), but I’m still hoping they’ll have a Wii style remote for casual tv watching.
When I saw the Magic Trackpad it made me think Apple was testing it in the real world for future AppleTV use.
it is really funny when people decide what apple should do next and then decide that it won’t succeed and then proclaim that apple has failed…..all before apple has done a damn thing. if the criminal justice system worked the same way then a person could be convicted of murder before they met the person
Heh, that site disabled the comments, so obviously they realize they’re in left field.
The mistake is assuming this will be a giant iPod on your TV. It won’t just like Apple TV isn’t a Mac on your TV.
R2,
While I see your point think for a moment about the actual mechanics involved in playing Flight Control on your TV via your iPhone. You can either watch the big screen or look at the screen you’re actually playing on. Which are you going to watch when you’re trying to land the planes?
Look, if anyone can pull it off it will be Apple but this notion that Apple is just going to cram iOS on an Apple TV just because iOS is hot right now is crazy talk. That’s simply not the way Apple does stuff. The company might (I doubt it) roll out an iTV on Sep 1 but Apple won’t make it an iOS device just for the sake of using iOS. The rumor doesn’t make any sense that I can see and I expect Apple will optimize the OS for the different needs of an iTV.
An yes, I know, you can control your AppleTV with your iOS device. Which proves you already have an iOS optimized device so another iOS device doesn’t really do much for you.
Sorry for those who really, for some reason, want an iTV with iOS on it it just isn’t going to happen. You know why? Cause Apple can do a lot better than that.
The magic trackpad and iPad/iPhone interfaces are of course the answer. But think of this,
Programs on an iOS device are lined up in a nice grid for easy navigation with the four directional buttons of an Apple remote.
Almost everything you select in an iOS program is in a nice orderly list.
Basic navigation with an old style remote should work fine. when you need more see above.
Well peeps…
The answer is simplicity itself… Doesn’t need a new fangled remote… Same remote… Highlighting the apps as you scroll past them… Very simple software code…
Something tells me though that the iPhone (iPod touch)/ iPad would be essential to full enjoyment of the content…
Or alternatively, they could create the iPod touch mini remote… Similar in size/ shape to the nano, but a complete touch screen…
@x
Great post!! Made my day LOL!!
What difference does it make?
I think this is abig issue. The strength of iOS vs older GUIs is direct finger input. Once you started adding intermediate steps (rubbing over HERE to making something happen over THERE) you might as well install a copy of Windows and plug in a mouse. It won’t be fun and intuitive anymore.
The close-minded author makes too many assumptions. Somehow the author also draws the conclusion that Apple will produce a kludge (solution that is inelegant, inefficient, clumsy, or patched together) when Apple has not even announced such a device, much less released it for review. Why not wait for the real product (if it exists) before concluding that “…expecting Apple to come up with some kludge to make a remote act like your finger on your non-touch screen TV is too much to ask.”
By the way, Chris, Apple does not wait until you ask. In all likelihood, they have already explored whatever option may be on your mind as well as multiple alternatives, and are either heading to market or archiving the experiences for possible future use.