Saturday, 29 May 2010

New Apple Remote with Multi-Touch and Bluetooth


Here's a fun idea. To coincide with the anticipated launch of Apple TV "Take 3," we can expect the launch of a new Apple Remote. The current model, sports a spiffy new brushed metal enclosure and one additional button (separating "Play" from "Select") but it is otherwise identical to the original Apple Remote, launched way back in 2005. It's based upon infrared, which feels increasingly outdated in a Bluetooth world, and while it sports far fewer buttons than competitor remotes, it still seems to bristle with buttons when compared to an iPhone, iPad, Magic Mouse or iPod shuffle. Its fiddly form factor is also arguably one of the weaker aspects of the Apple TV user experience.

With Engadget reporting that Apple TV Take 3 will be based upon the iPhone OS, we can assume that multi-touch and an accelerometer will be at the heart of the new experience. This suggests an entirely new approach to the remote control - a kind of hybrid between an iPhone, a Magic Mouse and a Wiimote - which we've mocked up above, for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Posted by Graham Bower at 20:24

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5 comments:

  1. Looks great! I think that you're definitely on the right track.

    Of course the "premium" experience will be to use an iPod touch or iPhone as the remote.
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  4. What do you think the estimated cost for such a remote would be?
    What would Apple charge and what would the public accept?
    Would it be better for apple to build a box that could receive streaming content from your ipod iphone and ipad and display it on your TV?
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  5. Hi Jim,

    I would guess the retail stand alone price to be around $69, like the Magic Mouse. The components are essentially the same, except that the remote would have an accelerometer and no laser.

    But more importantly, I think Apple would also bundle one with each new Apple TV.
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