It will forever be known as Wednesday’s “other” announcement. But today, amid the iPad frenzy that can only accompany a new tablet refresh from Apple, the venerable Cupertino, California-based tech giant took the lid off a new Apple TV unit.
Supporting 1080p high-definition output and delivering a simplified user interface, the new set-top box will be available for the same old price of $99 next week when it officially goes on sale.
Despite not being iOS-powered, the new features include app-like buttons that bestow access to all the content your heart desires: Movies, TV Shows, Music, Netflix, MLB, NBA and NHL, etc.
“People are going to love streaming movies and TV shows in 1080p with the new Apple TV, and photos look beautiful displayed at the maximum resolution of your TV,” boasted Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Apple TV is easier than ever to use with its new icon-based interface and the ability to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music right from iCloud.”
As of this writing, Apple TV users have their pick of more than 15,000 movies and 90,000 TV episodes in the iTunes Store.
To learn more, check out Apple’s new page on the refreshed Apple TV.
