Apple TV Remote To Get Touch Pad Upgrade

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Design changes to Apple TV have obviously not been a top priority in Cupertino. The TV itself has had the same design since 2012, while the remote control has looked largely the same for nearly five years. Now it seems the remote will finally get an update, writes Stephanie Mlot for PC Mag.

New remote to be released this summer

A report in the New York Times claims that a touch-pad Apple TV remote will be released this summer. The Times cites an unidentified employee with knowledge of the product, who claims that the new remote will be thicker than its predecessor, and feature a touch pad alongside two physical buttons.

The current incarnation of the Apple TV remote is a skinny, silver device which has a number of buttons on top and two below. The first generation remote was white, with similarly placed buttons. The introduction of a touch pad would bring the Apple TV remote in line with other accessories such as the wireless Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad, both of which have touch controls.

A patent application filed by the company last fall stoked speculation that a new Apple TV remote would have customization features. The patent appeared to show a device which would let users stream and control content from their device to the TV by tapping an icon. It must be noted that tech companies file lots of patents, many of which never become reality.

Next edition of Apple TV expected to be released soon

So far the company has not made any noises about the next version of Apple TV, but it is expected to release the next generation at the Worldwide Developer’s Conference next month. The prediction is supported by the reduced price of the current model, which was recently reduced from $99 to $69.

The new box will reportedly include Apple’s A8 chip, and boast increased internal storage. The first update in three years will allow for new apps to be installed, and will feature an improved operating system and user interface, as well as support for Siri voice control.

According to rumors, one thing that it will not support is 4K streaming.

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