By Gabriel Perna: Subscribe to Gabriel's RSS feed
September 1, 2010 9:42 PM EDT
Apple unveiled a new Apple TV, in an effort to revitalize one of the Cupertino, Calif. company's rare recent misses.
CEO Steve Jobs introduced Apple TV as part of its fall music product showcase in San Francisco. Jobs also introduced a new line of iPods, the iOS4.1 operating system and iTunes 10.
Before introducing the new version of Apple TV, Jobs admitted the company had missed on the initial version. While some people liked it, it was "not that big of a hit," but also that the company learned a lot from its user base.
"They don't want amateur hour. They want HD -- everyone wants HD. They want to pay lower prices for content. They don't want a computer on their TV -- they have computers. They go to their TVs for entertainment," Jobs said. "They don't want to manage storage. They don't want to think about it -- they just want to watch movies and TV shows. And they don't want to sync to a computer. And they want whatever hardware we have to be silent, cool, and small."
The new Apple TV will attempt to address those prior complaints. It is one-fourth the size of the original Apple TV. The device comes with HDMI, USB, optical audio and Ethernet cables. Most importantly, it comes with new content agreements and prices.
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TV shows, which were $2.99 previously, can now be rented for 99 cents the day after it runs on air. Movies can be rented on Apple TV for $4.99 the day it comes out on DVD. The company also said users will be able to stream Netflix on Apple TV. Apple has two studio partners thus far and expects more.
"Remember, these are commercial free. Now this is a big step for some of the studios to make. So we have ABC and Fox. We think the rest of the studios will see the light," Jobs said.
Jobs also introduced a new feature compatible with the iPad called AirPlay. This allows users to stream content from the iPad to Apple TV. The new Apple TV device will cost $99 and is available in four weeks.
The other "entrée" of the event as Jobs called it was a new lineup of iPods. The new primary iPod, the iPod Touch, is essentially an iPhone 4 without the phone. It has the retina display, 3-axis gyro, A4 chip and FaceTime video chat feature. It will be priced at $229 for the 8GB, $299 for the 32GB and $399 for the 64GB. Jobs also introduced the new iPod Nano, which comes with a touch screen for the first time, and the latest iPod Shuffle.
In conjunction with the new iPods, Apple also upgraded its music store, iTunes. The latest version, iTunes 10, will feature a new social media aspect called Ping. The social media feature will allow users to add friends and artists. It will also allow for users to find new music easier.
"It's like Facebook and Twitter meet iTunes. It's all about music," Jobs said.
Jobs also unveiled an updated version of the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad's iOS4 operating system. Most prominently, iOS 4.1 adds "Gaming Center," which allows users to challenge each other in an assortment of games.
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