Apple’s signifcant update to its upcoming Apple TV set-top box is expected to feature some significant user experience improvements, according to a new report by TechCrunch. While many of the details such as the inclusion of Apple’s A8 processor, a touch-based remote, and an SDK for developers to take advantage of have already been revealed previously, this latest report suggests that all of this will combine to create a vastly better user experience from the current three-year-old Apple TV platform.
The new remote is expected to be larger and thicker, including a Touchpad area at the top and a microphone for Siri, confirming earlier reports — however, new information reveals that the remote will also be motion sensitive, “likely including several axis’ worth of sensors that put its control on par with a Nintendo Wii remote.” This suggests that the new Apple TV remote could effectively double as a game controller. The report also suggests that Apple will be get more performance out of the A8 CPU as it will not have to contend with battery life concerns from a device that is plugged into a wall, and will thereby be able to support an updated user interface that will provide “much better effects and navigational improvements” which will be particularly appreciated by users with large libraries.
Sources indicate that the new experience is expected to “blow away” existing television and home media interfaces, describing it as the “first real Apple TV product.”
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