As we reported earlier this year, the upcoming Apple TV will feature a redesigned remote with improved functionality, according to The New York Times. We reported that the new remote would have more tactile buttons and a new design, and today’s report adds that the controller will have a touchpad akin to the trackpads on Apple laptops. There will also be two physical buttons on the remote, the report claims.
Apple’s original Apple TV remote was heavily discussed in the company’s employee training program, according to the report. In an Apple University training course, instructors compared the Apple TV remote to a Google TV remote control that had 78 buttons. Apple emphasized during the course that it wants its TV remote to be simply and easy to understand.
Today’s report also corroborates our own sources and claims that the refreshed Apple TV will be unveiled this summer at WWDC. The refreshed Apple TV will reportedly be slimmer than the current model and feature a redesigned operating system with support for Apple’s upcoming web TV service and its new streaming music service. The device is also expected to use Apple’s latest A8 chip for improved performance.
The upcoming Apple TV will not feature support for 4K content, according to a report from earlier this year. Apple allegedly does not believe that there is any major benefit to supporting the technology with its set-top box.
In reality, the need for a touchpad on the Apple TV remote is very small. Apple already offers a Remote app on iPhone and Watch, both of which are almost certainly more capable than the built-in Apple TV remote touchpad will be. The Apple TV has long been praised for its simplistic remote, so it remains to be seen whether Apple will be able to keep that simplicity with a touchpad.
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Do we assume that the new Apple TV will be on the retail shelves shortly after WWDC, or will it be available in the fall?
If they do announce it, I would guess it would be shortly after WWDC. Fall is pretty full up with new iPads, iPhones and iMacs
There will be new iMacs shortly after WWDC, not in the Fall.
Fall
It’s Apple so it’ll be available “early Fall”…..aka November 30th
Can you explain the “It’s Apple” ? I think Apple Watch is the first ever product announced 6 month before actual launch, hardly an habit right?
@hiddendwarf:
The iPhone was announced 5 months and 20 days ahead of release. Still, hardly a habit, as you say.
As was Apple TV.
They will say. The Apple TV it will be available TODAY.
I’m not sure I like the idea of a trackpad and fewer buttons on a TV remote. Who wants to look at a TV remote in order to use it? After a while I get used to where the buttons are, so the only time I actually have to look at it is to see where it is before I pick it up and when I have to change the battery. I think having too few buttons will just make it less convenient to use.
Well the remote for my Samsung TV has a fairly large touchpad so I don’t really see why its that unusual. Though the only time I use my TV remote is to turn on the TV and switch it from the cable box input to the Apple TV input and back since those two devices don’t support HDMI-CEC, something I really hope the new Apple TV supports.
Apple showed what can be done with a touchscreen on a phone and how versatile that can be, I think a touchpad on a remote can be just a versatile especially if it can incorporate some sort of updatable universal remote qualities.
The touch screen on your phone is looked at, a TV remote is entirely different. And as a design reference you use Samsung? Samsung doesn’t understand design at all. What’s that feature called? Eyes-away? They are fumbling around like a child out of their depth. The only time they do something 10% interesting is when they outright copy Apple. Wouldn’t surprise me one big it this touchpad is dropped from the shipping model.
Do you look at your Trackpad as you use it? I think the remote will be the same.
Yes, but for use as a D-pad it doesn’t seem like a step up in useabity. It’s more like an idea that sounds cool but is worse in use.
A trackpad doesn’t display anything while TV remotes have a myriad of buttons. Even something as simple as the current Apple TV remote has controls that can be identified and used by feel. One of my initial complaints about the iPhone was that I could no longer dial by feel.
Muscle memory is a big part of using remotes, trackpads and touch screens don’t allow for that.
Also consider that Apple touch screens and trackpads have all been made of glass in recent years, do you really want yet another fragile piece of electronics lying around waiting to be broken?
The only way a touchpad would work is with futuristic haptic feedback where you’ll feel an arrow or button on smooth glass. Even Apple’s haptic isn’t that good yet though.
Keep in mind a remote should not have a need to be charged frequently. I’ve had an Apple TV remote for some 3 years now and still haven’t had to replace the battery. Put too much in it and it will be another device that needs to be charged on your nightstand.
If it’s essentially a smaller Magic Trackpad with a couple of buttons and force touch, they could put a LiPo battery in it, run it on bluetooth LE, and run it for months without a charge.
Wrong. My Harmony Ultimate needs to be recharged frequently. And I never ever would give it away
As this remote desperately needs to be Bluetooth over infrared it’s going to waste faster. Inductive charging for the remote built into the top surface of the new Apple TV that works even when the device is turned off would be a super-duper idea.
It’s always important to think outside the box when it comes to product updates…. Perhaps the updated remote is in fact the new Apple TV itself. What if it’s an iPod Touch-like device with an HDMI dongle that receives the stream?
Nah, we already have an iPod touch and the iPhone. That would merely be an app. No it’s also important to think inside the frame that makes sense too.
“Apple’s new Apple TV remote has been heavily tested in the company’s employee training program…”
Incorrect — plus this wouldn’t make any sense. The NYT story states, “The current Apple TV remote has been an important case study for Apple’s employee training program.” Trainees have studied the design of the current remote, not the new one.
“In reality, the need for a touchpad on the Apple TV remote is very small.”
‘Need’ isn’t a helpful word here. Why bother editorializing on a report piece like this? We’ll find out how big the “need” is if/when we see and use the product.
Here’s to hoping it works like the new trackpads. No buttons, all haptic feedback for clicks, maybe even make the pad need to be pressed rather than tapped. Maybe some nice contoured areas to let your fingers “feel” where the buttons are without looking down at the remote.
I appreciate Apple not taking the useless 4k route. Without the global availability of 4k content, HW supporting it is merely for tech freaks who ejaculate over their keyboard after reading there’s a new 4k device on the market. We’re still a generation away from global 4k availability.
See http://www.cnet.com/news/why-4k-tvs-are-stupid/
Wrong. My Harmony Ultimate needs to be recharged frequently. And I never ever would give it away.
“In reality, the need for a touchpad on the Apple TV remote is very small.”
Says who? I wonder whoever said that has ever used the Apple TV remote in his life!
I was always hoping they’d bring back the clickwheel to the Apple Remote. Which means, drop the Play/Pause and Menu Buttons, and rearrange everything, including volume, on the clickwheel similar to the iPod classic, and update the software to work accordingly. But I guess we’ve moved beyond that now.
I just hope that it is bigger than the current AppleTV remote. The current remote is constantly getting lost in the cushions.
Dont care what they new remote will be I have my watch. HEHEHE
Ultimately, if it doesn’t have universal remote capabilities, then this is a waste of time. I have very few devices compared to many people (I have a TV, Apple TV, and a Roku), but I still use a universal remote to avoid fumbling with 3 different remotes all the time!
Considering how easy it would be to integrate, the fact that I am made to pick up a separate remote to turn up the volume on my TV is unacceptable. (Note: I am perfectly aware that this is a “spoiled-brat”, “first-world-problem” kind of complaint. However, Apple is an extraordinary technology company. I am certain that they can handle making a universal remote.)
Apple will not make a universal remote. No way jose.They will make a remote which works with Apple stuff only. That’s how they work and that is how they are so rich.
Given that the UI is basically all lists, a click wheel would actually work better than what they have now. I’m all for a trackpad if it can be used as a virtual click wheel.
now only if I can throw the remote in my pocket and have my apple tv content on the go that would be the shit with the rumored app store take game with me to on the go im sold screw ps4 and xbone one
I’m guessing that the new remote will also include some kind of motion controls, whether that’s pointing at the screen to control a cursor or just simple gestures (or both).
Jobs did reference a “magic wand” in relation to Apple TV in a disclosed email, and there is this patent: http://appleinsider.com/articles/09/12/31/apple_still_pushing_for_patent_on_wii_like_apple_tv_remote_control
Why can’t I just use my phone? Remotes seem so 80s.
I don’t think it’s really fair of them to being up 78 buttons as a good chick of them are the QWERTY keyboard, not just random shit.
Still, if the Apple trackpad has Taptic feedback that would make it awesome for feeling your way around the interface.