Brian X. Chen, writing for the New York Times:
Yet one much ballyhooed device will be absent from the conference: a new Apple TV, Apple’s set-top box for televisions. The company planned as recently as mid-May to use the event to spotlight new Apple TV hardware, along with an improved remote control and a tool kit for developers to make apps for the entertainment device. But those plans were postponed partly because the product was not ready for prime time, according to two people briefed on the product.
Apple declined to comment.
And:
Those eager for a new Apple TV, however, will have to wait. The company decided to hold off an announcement because the product was not ready to be demonstrated, according to people briefed on the device.
A major setback for the Apple TV involves content. Apple plans to offer its Apple TV, iPhone and iPad customers a bundle of channels that is smaller and cheaper than the large catalog of offerings in a typical cable subscription, according to people briefed on the service, who discussed the incomplete plans on the condition of anonymity. Media executives have been coy about the existence of the coming Apple TV service — the chief executive of CBS said last week that his network would “probably” sign a deal with Apple. Separately, Showtime announced on Wednesday a new Internet streaming service that would debut on Apple devices in July for a monthly fee of $10.99.
Feh. I’m really looking forward to the new Apple TV. I want the content control, but I also want the SDK.
Just imagine the possibility of being able to build an app that had access to both streaming content and the content metadata. Every modern TV is controlled by an interface purposefully limited by a need to be both bulletproof (well, mostly) and a lowest common denominator (the same interface for both techies and non-techies). Imagine being able to break that barrier, to customize that interface.
My first wish would be to add a button that did an IMDB, Metacritic, and RottenTomatoes lookup for a show I was thinking of recording. I’d put in preferences that let me add review sites as I encountered them.
Have to put that dream on hold for a bit. Feh.