While Apple didn't announce anything other than the two new iPhones, the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c, and further detailed its new mobile operating system, iOS 7, a new report says that an Apple TV refresh is also in the pipeline and would arrive as soon as next week.
A new
report by AllThingsD, which is a credible source when it comes to Apple news, cites people familiar with the company's plans to report that the Apple TV is scheduled for an internal revamp on September 18, which is the day
Apple publicly releases iOS 7 for iPhone (4 and above), iPad (2 and above), iPad mini and iPod touch fifth-generation devices.
The report points out that Apple will make changes to its AirPlay wireless mirroring and streaming feature to enable users who have purchased content from its iTunes content store to play media on other people's TV through AirPlay.
At the moment, to enable Apple TV to pull purchased content from your iTunes library, you need to sign-in to the Apple TV using your own Apple ID user credentials, which is extremely cumbersome especially if you don't have an iOS device that has the Remote app installed.
There is another way to stream purchased content; to play it through an iOS device such as an iPad or an iPhone via AirPlay or through a compatible AirPlay enabled Mac. However, if you don't have any of these devices, then you're out of luck. Also, you need to download content on your Apple device first.
The report says that Apple TV's updated software allows users to make an Apple TV box they don't own stream media from their iTunes library, directly from the cloud via Apple servers, similar to Google's Chromecast media dongle.
While the report doesn't get into specifics, it suggests that there could be a way to enter one's Apple ID on a connected device and pull content without downloading it.
Previously, there were rumours that
Apple could announce a refreshed Apple TV along with the new iPhones at the special event it hosted on Tuesday. According to Panjiva, a leading intelligence platform for global trade professionals, Apple had received three shipments of products marked as "Set Top Box with Communication Function" from BYD Precision Manufacture in Shenzhen, China.
However, after the emergence of these rumours, AllThingsD had
reported that the Apple TV refresh would at the most be a software update.
Apple TV is a media streamer that lets users play content from popular services like YouTube, Netflix and Hulu Plus, as well as some other services like Vimeo, Vevo and HBO Go. It also offers access to Apple's iTunes Store, through which users can purchase or rent movies, or buy music. One of the major highlights of the Apple TV is support for Airplay which allows users to stream content wirelessly (over Wi-Fi) from any iOS device or iTunes (Mac as well as Windows) to the Apple TV. It can also be used to wirelessly mirror the display of iOS devices as well as Macs.
Also see: Apple unveils iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s