In the Apple Special Event last Wednesday, Sept. 9, high-ranked officials of Apple announced their newest innovation in home entertainment, the newest Apple TV with a Siri-enabled remote control, and a fast new operating system and apps that allow users to watch--what, when and where they want.
Apple CEO Tim Cook told the audience during the event that "Apple TV represents the future of television."
"The television experience has been virtually standing still, while innovation has been thriving in the mobile space. Today we are going to do something about that," he said.
According to USA Today, the slightly-larger-than-a-hockey puck-sized Apple TV set-top box connects to the TV and to the Internet. It will start at $149 for a 32-gigabit version, going up to $199 for a 64-gigabit version.
Apple TV Siri-enabled remote control is an iPhone-like designed remote control that has a touch surface that allows users to control the screen with their finger.
The Siri-remote control can also be activated through simple voice commands. Users can ask the Siri-remote to look up for their favorite TV programs or search for movies featuring their favorite actors.
Eddy Cue, senior vice president of Internet software and services at Apple said that Siri will search across iTunes, Hulu, Netflix and Showtime and give the user all availabilities on a single screen.
The remote can also be used to play games. It comes with a gyroscope and an accelerometer.
Peter Csathy, CEO of Manatt Digital Media, a law and consulting firm in Los Angeles said that all of this is building a base for the future, which will include the introduction of Apple's own streaming video service. "Apple's seeding the market," Csathy added.
The Apple TV will be available in late October in over 80 countries and 100 by the end of the year.
