New version of Apple TV likely on its way for a September 10 launch
Apple is planning a big event on September 10, 2013, and there has been a lot of speculation on what could be on the menu. While the exact lineup of products is subject of debate, almost everyone agrees that newer models …
Context & Ripple Effects
The September 10 invitation is confirmed — Apple has sent press invites to its Cupertino campus for a 10 am PT event — but the Apple TV itself remains a rumor, with GigaOM's report picked up same-day by The Next Web, Business Insider, 9to5Mac, T3 and several other outlets, signaling unusually broad appetite for any living-room news out of this event.
The arc runs back to November 2011, when retail and supply-chain moves at Amazon and Best Buy were read as early signals of a new Apple TV — so a 2013 refresh would land nearly two years into a rumor cycle that has never quite resolved. Supporting texture from the same week: Apple's confirmed acquisition of Swedish codec-and-compression startup AlgoTrim and a fresh patent positioning the iPhone as an intelligent media and smart-home 'scenes' remote.
First-order effects
- A same-day refresh of Apple TV would put a new set-top on shelves ahead of the holiday quarter, resetting the hardware comparison for Roku, game consoles and smart-TV makers just as buyers start their seasonal research.
Second-order effects
- Content owners and streaming services would face renewed pressure to be present on whatever ships, since an updated Apple TV re-concentrates distribution leverage in Apple's storefront and airplay stack.
Third-order effects
- If Apple keeps iterating the box annually rather than opening it up, the pattern points toward the living room being held as an accessory to the iPhone-iPad ecosystem — consistent with the smart-home remote patent — until Apple decides the TV deserves first-class app treatment.
The trend: Apple is treating the television as a slow-burn platform play, using incremental set-top refreshes and phone-side patents to keep the living room tethered to its ecosystem while deferring the full app-platform move.