Get more from your shiny box of joy
Apple TV in 3D? Well, for now that is a no but soon we will be able to remote control our Apple TV’s in the 3rd dimension. Apple has recently won 22 patents, as reported by Patently Apple, which covers everything from Electromagnetic Induction (battery extension for iOS devices) to a new 3D Apple TV remote technology that potentially includes a “wand”, a touch interface, as well as a gyroscope sensor. Patently Apple describes what this patent could mean to our living rooms:
What’s comes after the new 1080p Apple TV 3? A recent revelation from Patently Apple details the technology that Apple may be preparing for use in a full-fledged Apple-branded HDTV. This new patent, published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, reveals advancements in the technology Apple currently uses in in its series of iMac computers. Our friends at Patently Apple go on to explain:
Hot on the heels of Apple’s latest announcement introducing the iPad 3 to the world people quickly forgot all about the new Apple HDTV hype. Prior to the announcement, if you’ll recall, there was great speculation as to what Apple would be announcing regarding its Apple TV line. It had been speculated that what Steve Jobs once mentioned as a hobby of Apple’s would soon become one of its next “big things”. Needless to say, we were all more than a little disappointed to learn that they not only weren’t releasing a new HDTV, but they were merely rolling out a “newish” Apple TV 3 packed into the same little black box.
Apple has filed a set of patents for a Wii-style remote control for Apple TV.
In the two patent applications Apple describes a “wand” for controlling the operations of a media system, suggesting the iPhone-maker may be considering games for Apple TV.
That would involve distributing them to the device through the iTunes App Store, as is currently the case for the iPhone.
In January, it was suggested that NVIDIA’s Ion platform is likely to be included in the next Apple TV.
Among the uses proposed by Apple for the wand are zoom operations, a keyboard application, an image application, an illustration application and a media application.
Other possiblities for the wand include it being used to call up a dock, and then to select an option from the menu by moving the wand across the screen.
The controller could also scroll through a CoverFlow display and be used to manipulate photos by zooming in and out and rotating.
Source: HTDV.biz-news.com
It will be interesting to see how it develops, and if this will finally move apple to invest more in the platform.
