Apple announcement today included a ton of cool stuff, including a brand new line of MacBooks, a host of snazzy new features in iOS 6, and the integration of Siri with certain automobiles. What it didn’t include, much to the horror of fans across the entire planet, was the iPhone 5. Another gadget that didn’t make it onto the stage this morning was the Apple TV, which many believed would be a part of a major announcement at WWDC 2012.
Depending on who you talked to, lots of individuals seemed to think that Apple would allow third-party developers to create apps for the Apple TV. Others would have you believe that the company would unveil a full-blown TV set, one that would incorporate a number of nifty features into its design. Unfortunately, much like those who were disappointed by the absence of the iPhone5, fans of Apple TV will have to bide their time.
What Apple TV fans did get was something called “AirPlay Mirroring”, which allows Mac users to transmit 1080p video to their televisions or projectors. Additionally, users can also stream audio to the device, as well. iPhone and iPad users have been able to stream video to their Apple TVs for a while now, though never at such high resolutions.
Janko Roettgers at Gigaom suggests that the reason Apple didn’t give third-party developers access to the SDK is because of the numbers. Since the iPad currently outsells the Apple TV by leaps and bounds, the company wants them to focus on the device that brings in the most money. Sure, Apple TV has sold 2.7 million units, but that’s nothing when compared to the 40.5 million iPads that were picked up by tech-hungry consumers in 2011.
So is Apple cooking up something bigger? Is a full-blown Apple TV with all the bells and whistles coming down the proverbial pipeline in the near future? Right now, it’s all just speculation. Considering how many people thought we’d get something at WWDC 2012, your guess, at this stage, is honestly as good as mine.
Apple did prove my point that >1080p resolution will enter the home via the computer, not the tv. Curious to watch that shift take place.
No Apple TV news. Honestly, not that surprised, predicted as much to @dkatzmaier this morning. Saving the overhaul for the Apple Television?
At this point, Apple TV could wash windows, walk the dog, perform CPR and it STILL wouldn’t match the hype levels in the blogosphere