M+E Daily
Apple TV Still a Hobby
Story Highlights
By Paul Sweeting
A recently discovered FCC filing by Apple does not contain good news for those banking on a fully integrated iTV set in the near future. Instead, the filing describes a very minor refresh of the existing Apple TV set-top box, with no indication that any new functionality or features are being added.
The main differences between Apple 3,2, as the new model is referred to in the filings, and the current 3,1 version, according to those who have plowed through the filing and the new iOS firmware source code, are a new wireless chip –the same low-power dual-band 40nm Broadcom BCM4334 chip used in the iPhone 5 — and a new CPU — the same s5l8947x ‘A5x’ processor used in the latest iPads.
An Apple spokesperson issued the following statement about the filing:
We sometimes make component changes which require an updated model number for regulatory approval. The component changes we made don’t affect product features and Apple TV customers will continue to have the same great user experience.
One way to read the news is that Apple is hunkering down with the Apple TV set-top and has swapped out some chips in the manufacturing process to use components it is already buying in bulk for other products. It’s a cost-savings move, in other words, aimed at making the manufacturing and supply chain of the current Apple TV set-top a little more efficient.
That’s not the sort of move a company makes when it’s about to make a major strategic move in a product category.
