Following coming under a bit of heat for its report about the iPad running “significantly hotter than” iPad 2, Consumer Reports just published a review of the new Apple TV ahead of its full comprehensive testing. While the review could not help but praise the refreshed set-top box’s 1080p video support, Consumer Report’s “bottom line” is that the device is not worth the upgrade for second-generation Apple TV owners. It also claims the cheaper Roku and D-Link’s Boxee Box offer more content options: Read more
It will likely look the same as the current Apple TV with similar ports otherwise, though that hasn’t been confirmed.
Also, the new mystery B82 accessory part just got a price as well: $39. We’re still not sure what exactly it is (Dock, A/V cable – currently $39, remote – currently $19, etc.). We’re not expecting anything too spectacular however under $40.
Finally, MacRumors confirms tips that we’ve been hearing today.
Apple appears to be making a similar transition for the iPad with tomorrow’s introduction of the iPad 3, rolling out a $99 AppleCare+ for iPad warranty that would replace the current $79 standard AppleCare package.
AppleCare +, which also covers accidental damage with a $49 deductible, for iPad has shown up on a number of occasions in EasyPay as a $99 option leading our tipsters to believe that it will debut tomorrow.
We’ll be covering all the action tomorrow live, so make sure you stop back.
Right before Apple made AirPlay mirroring for Macs official with the Mountain Lion developer preview, we told you about AirParrot, a third-party app that brings the same functionality to Snow Leopard. The same developers just announced the first solid release of another AirPlay app, but this time it is for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S mirroring to your Mac. “Reflection” ($14.99 single license) allows users to easily view their iPhone or iPad’s screen (and audio) on a Mac’s display over AirPlay. We went hands on… Read more
Apple’s merging of iOS with OS X continues today with our first glimpse at 10.8 Mountain Lion, the next major OS release for Macs. Of course, in the process of bringing the best of both worlds together, some things win out. In the case of Mountain Lion, several apps and features were replaced with their iOS counterparts. Here is everything from past OS X releases that died today at the hand of Apple’s iOS-ifying of Mountain Lion:
Yes, there are a few apps for that, though, I have yet to find one that works as seamlessly and effortlessly as AirPlay implementation on iOS devices. Eagle-eyed readers could point out that AirPlay support was long-planned for Lion until it was abruptly pulled last-minute without an explanation. Sure enough, it took longer than expected, so we are excited with full AirPlay Mirroring now a possibility on Macs running Mountain Lion.
Just as you would expect, AirPlay Mirroring in Mountain Lion lets you tunnel whatever is on your Mac wirelessly to your television through the Apple TV set-top box. Think web pages in Safari, kitten clips on YouTube, movies from iMovies, Keynote presentations or any other content displayed on your Mac, including your desktop. Yes, just like on the iPad.
Better yet, using AirPlay Mirroring on 2011 Mac notebooks does not need a local wireless network, because the machine can create an ad hoc wireless network to pair with the Apple TV. This is gold for road warriors and educators who only need a MacBook and an Apple TV to present their portfolio or teaching material on the big screen.
Do you remember when we told you Apple has an AirPlay Mirroring application for Mac OS X in development? It would allow you to wirelessly mirror what is on your Mac’s display to an Apple TV and a connected HDTV. While we are unsure if Apple plans to release the app, thanks to “AirParrot” we might have a half decent solution in the meantime. AirParrot is available now for $9.99, and it allows a user to mirror a Mac’s screen (OS X 10.6+) to a television through an Apple TV. Unfortunately, it is not a perfect solution yet…
