
(Image courtesy of USPTO)
Well I had one since it ever came out and started using it like crazy lately, but now there is going to be another reason too use it. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am talking about the AppleTV. It seems that Apple is patenting of what could be the next version of the AppleTV, finally putting the system in full use. Though its not quite popular, the AppleTV is a powerful media computer (or device if you want to call it) that currently allows you to watch movies, tv shows, podcasts, and listen to music.
Today, I use the AppleTV more than watching TV on cable, and I currently have over 200 movies and over thousand of episodes of TV shows. Many people told me of how they thought the AppleTV was not that great, but once when I gave them the controls and show them the way how I manage my AppleTV, they views totally changed. Currently, I am planning to get more AppleTVs to sync with my iTunes on my main Mac throughout the house, and even in my room in Florida through a VPN setup (and it will work).
What it seems like is that Apple will be having a Mac Finder interface in addition to the AppleTV menus, giving the user a chance to use programs on Mac. Remember that the AppleTV is sitting on Tiger, 10.4. With one of the patent filed above, the controller will have a motion-sensor allowing users to point at the screen with a cursor, such as the Wii. Does this point to games, well if you can run an application like in 10.4, it is possible. And with the hit games on the iPod Touch and iPhone, there won’t be a problem for small developers to create games or other related software. I myself will be keeping track, heck there might be a Vidgle app on the AppleTV in the works. We are currently working on a iPhone app for Vidgle.
Lets see the future holds…