Apple for years has noted that the Apple TV is a “hobby”, and along with that “hobby” status comes an irregular hardware release schedule. Now, 9to5Mac is reporting that they have found a reference to a “AppleTV3,1” in the most recent build of iOS 5. The previous and current generation Apple TVs held code names of “AppleTV1,1” and “AppleTV2,1” respectively. This of course suggests the company is indeed working on new Apple TV hardware.
With all of that standing as a preface, it is unknown when Apple might release the new Apple TV hardware. When such hardware references (such as iPhone references) are found in iOS there is normally a 12-18 month lead time. That means the next-generation Apple TV is very likely a a year away from launch.
Slamming all of this half-baked information together creates a hypothetical product that is greater than the sum of it’s parts. That is, device capable of handling 1080p video, much like the iPhone 4S. This would mean Apple would have to iron out contracts with movie studios to offer 1080p content on the iTunes Store. It so happens that just such rumors regarding 1080p content have been circulating for some time.
In short, is appears that Apple is indeed working on future hardware for the Apple TV line. When and what it will entail, is up for debate.
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TAGS: Apple TV, iOS 5
