Code found within the iOS 7.1 SDK suggests that Siri is headed to the Apple TV in future. Pierre Blazquez first found the reference on Friday. 9to5Mac has since confirmed that the code does exist in both iOS 7.1 and iOS 7.1.1’s files. The reference does not exist in 7.0.6.
The file is a supporting property-list resource for Assistant (Apple’s internal name for Siri), containing information about the feature. The UIDeviceFamily array declares what platforms are compatible with the feature.
As shown by Apple’s documentation, ‘1’ and ‘2’ represent the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad families. The ‘3’ represents the Apple TV family.
Apple uses the ‘3’ identifier to denote the Apple TV family.
The Apple TV has been given the ‘3’ designation ever since Apple TV became based off iOS. The Lowtide application uses the ‘3’ identifier for instance, as do current Apple TV apps.
References to a new Apple TV have already been found in iOS code. Although this particular finding is not evidence of new hardware, it seems likely that Apple will not bring Siri to the current generation of Apple TV, which lacks microphone input.
9to5Mac has previously reported that a new Apple TV is in development, with a focus on apps and games. A new input method, potentially including Siri, has also been rumored for the upcoming update.
Thanks Efrain Roa and Pierre Blazquez.
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Siri for OS X in June?
“Apple Bluetooth Microphone” to enable use on current version of Apple TV?
Seriously doubt it.
“Any iOS device”, on the other hand…
or add functionality to existing remote app.
Yep.
Good call, Dustin. No additional hardware required then.
Please let the games be more than just casual, I’m sorry but casual games are for mobile devices, not the living room. It’s pretty embarrassing to consider playing angry birds (I know there are already console versions, it’s sad) and cut the rope on your big screen tv.
The games will be whatever plays on iOS already. Because that’s how they’ll get their games up to it in the first place (read: you can already do it now).
It is an odd day when I read a nice comment from Tallest skill on one thread, and then agree with a comment of his (her?) on this thread. I feel quite odd! After playing Real Racing 3 (a lot) the gaming experience on the iphone is approaching console quality ……. How long until you can play Battlefield 4 on a phone? Can’t wait!
I get the feeling that the A8 will send a shiver down the spines of Microsoft and Sony.
Yeah I know, but the major problem right now is the lack of AAA games, which of course, stems from multiple problems really. The App Store top selling apps will of course always be the casual throwaway games which come and go within a month or so. AAA developers apps would be hard pressed to make it in the top 100 or stay there. They need to do adjustments to increase app marketing, and app awareness. Of course another problem is the lack of power of the devices yet, as developers must make apps which can run on the past few generations, which seriously limits what they can do. Sure the A8 will be amazing, but they can’t just make a game to support it unfortunately.
A caveat here might be if the Apple TV upgrade gets an A8, I don’t see why developers wouldn’t put apps up specifically for the Apple TV using the full A8 power, since they wouldn’t need to support older devices being that there aren’t any, and that it is constantly plugged into a power source, so using full power wouldn’t hurt?
>>The App Store top selling apps will of course always be the casual throwaway games which come and go within a month or so.
Will they? I don’t think that stands to reason. If “AAA” titles manage to get their way into the store, THEY’LL be there. After all, they’re “AAA” titles. Supposed to be “good” or “well received”.
>>A caveat here might be if the Apple TV upgrade gets an A8, I don’t see why developers wouldn’t put apps up specifically for the Apple TV
No internal storage. There won’t be games ON the Apple TV. How people don’t seem to comprehend that is beyond me. The processing could be done there, but games won’t be stored there, so there won’t be a “store” of any sort. There’ll be a la carte Channels, as it’s a TELEVISION device, but games controlled from an iOS device.
Tallest, first of all no AAA game touches the top spots (or at least stats there), this is obviously because the vast majority play casual games on iOS devices. Hence why flappy birds was so popular. Never, will AAA titles overtake the casual games on these devices, it’s that simple. Everyone above the age of 2 can play a lot of the casual throwaway games on iOS, and that’s exactly what nearly all of them do.
There absolutely will be internal storage or it is useless by default (as far as gaming and am App Store are concerned). The entire idea of an App Store coming to the device ensures there will be internal storage. You seem to be missing the rumors, as they are pointing to an App Store and gaming functionality.
As for controlling games via your iOS device, as you’ve said, you can already do that, but it’s 99% worthless. Yay I can put real racing on the big screen and tilt my device from side to side to control the car!! That’s a nice gimmick and cool for casual play, but it’s absolutely a joke if you’re talking AAA good games. As for a third party controller attached to your iOS device to play them, well, they are all currently worthless trash (and I own one, though I won it in a contest, wouldn’t have dreamt of purchasing it). Moreover, a fraction of people would actually own a third party controller which they will have to attach to their iOS device in order to play games on their Apple TV to display it on the big screen. This is so far from Apple’s simplicity ideals, it’s embarrassing. However, yes, tactile feedback controller is 100% must for hardcore gaming.
It’s a TELEVISION device, you’re right. What do people do on their televisions? Apparently you’re unaware that televisions provide multiple sources of entertainment. The new Apple TV will be a device aimed at enhancing every aspect of entertainment on a TV (aside from porn).
>> Never, will AAA titles overtake the casual games on these devices, it’s that simple.
I just fail to believe this, is all. Their marketing budgets, their cookie-cutter genericness so they can pop one out right after another… They’ll hold the same position in this market as any other.
>>There absolutely will be internal storage or it is useless by default
Exactly. Which is why there won’t be an App Store on the Apple TV. How is this difficult for people to understand?!
>>You seem to be missing the rumors, as they are pointing to an App Store and gaming functionality.
No, it’s idiots screaming about what they think is best for Apple and being wrong as always.
>>but it’s 99% worthless.
More hyperbole, no substance.
>>However, yes, tactile feedback controller is 100% must for hardcore gaming.
Heh. Nope.
>>What do people do on their televisions?
They AirPlay non-video from their devices to Apple TV. And that’s how it works.
Tallest,
If Apple is to make any inroads to gameplay on the AppleTV, it cannot be controlled from an iOS device. Yes you can do it now, and it is unpopular as all hell. This will not change if the games are streamed from Apple directly to your AppleTV, instead of from iOS to AppleTV via AirPlay….because that isn’t the major problem.
The real problem is controlling a game from an iOS device while looking at a TV. It severely limits your ability to interact, as you can only utilize very limited control mechanisms….accelerometer, and gyroscopic…ok cool, but any touching of the display has to be limited to blind thumb presses on one side of the screen or the other.
Anything more requires you take your eyes off the big screen, completely defeating the purpose. That brings us back to hardware controller support, and I don’t think Apple is going to want to avoid or shy away from this, given their recent interest in expanding game controller support for iOS.
I think it very likely that many MFi controllers on the market will work with the new AppleTV, and allow a whole new level of gaming.
>>any touching of the display has to be limited to blind thumb presses on one side of the screen or the other.
Sounds exactly like every controller I’ve ever held.
>>Anything more requires you take your eyes off the big screen, completely defeating the purpose.
And you wouldn’t need to. Exactly like every controller.
Tallest I’m just going to respond to one of your comments, which is the people screaming about what they want on the Apple TV. It’s been rumored, and I’m pretty sure Marc Gunham? Is that his name? Reported on it. He is highly accurate and has multiple sources, which obviously know things going on in Apple.
Which? Oh, the one where analysts claim to know what the next model will be? Remember those same analysts were against just about everything Apple actually did before they did it, so forgive me if I don’t lend them any credence.
Hahahah tallest!! Now you’re getting crazy. Tactile feedback isn’t a maybe it’s an obvious, anyone who doesn’t think so is a complete moron. Tactile feedback ALWAYS will be needed. Hint: you don’t have to look at a controller because it has buttons you feel (aka tactile feedback). An iOS device will NEVER be anything but a casual gaming controller, as real gaming needs a tactile controller. Yes, you can snap a garbage third party controller on your iOS device, but like I said that’s going far and beyond the intelligent, simplistic ideals of Apple. If they want gaming to be real on this, you can rest assured they will make a controller for it. It’s as simple as that.
You keep saying this, but you have no proof.
You have absolutely no proof that controls cannot be used on a touchscreen sight unseen. I have proof of the opposite. Tactile feedback in the form of physical buttons will NOT always be needed. In fact, it has been on the way out since 2008.
AppleTV in its current incarnation has 8GB of flash storage. That’s enough for a couple of medium-sized games (after all, it was the base storage configuration for the iPod touch for years). It’s not unthinkable that the next version will have a bit more storage on-board. As with all iOS apps, deleting and restoring apps isn’t a big deal, either.
I think dismissing any model at this time is premature. Apple may not follow Amazon’s fireTV model, but it is a pretty compelling device that the future AppleTV will likely compete with.
>>That’s enough for a couple of medium-sized games
Except that isn’t storage. Yes, it’s a NAND chip, but it’s not storage. It’s cache for video.
Everybody wants to get into the STB game but prefer doing it the Apple way.
But the AppleTV isn’t just quite there yet.
Adding Siri & games to the next version of it will absolutely make a much more
huge seller than it already is right now.
I, for, one, will absolutely buy one.
C’mon, Tim: getmoff the schnide & realease this puppy, already!!
siri is overrated. what apple tv users really want is a serious UI change and better content with an app store obviously (which is already 2 years late IMO). apple had a chance to capture the set-top market the last 2 years and sitting idly by has opened up the doors for google, amazon, roku, etc. timmy has some serious work to do. this is what he has been doing with the apple tv for 3 years? jobs is rolling in his grave.
Siri (and by that I simply mean voice-controlled search) coupled together with what AppleTV desperately needs which is a powerful version of Spotlight, that can deliver aggregated search results of content from all App channels, will be HUGE for the usability overhaul of AppleTV. I’m just as happy to type my search using the remote app, but if I can hit the dictation button, or perhaps a more universal Siri button, I just may.
i agree that it makes it easier to perform search in certain situations, but this is no different than what everyone is doing now. almost everyone has started integrating voice-controlled search in their set top boxes now. this can’t be the selling point of the device. what they need is a complete overhaul of the UI with better content (preferably exclusive content) and an app store. why they haven’t done this already is beyond me. this should have been done 2 years ago.
Take my money. I’m in for three of these when they launch.
My Apple TV is just a device for Netflix and the only way to get game of thrones on my TV from the numpty NOWTV service in the Uk (Airplayed from the MBP). To be honest at £80 it is worth it for that, and being able to show family pictures and vids of the kids when they come around. Of course Frozen from iTunes in 1080p is worth a lot with a three old in the house. Wow just convinced myself I actually use it a lot!!!! New featured would always be nice though…… Today, I will mostly be rambling on like an pensioner!!!