Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

Mysterious 'iProd2' referenced in iOS is new Apple TV

References to an unreleased product dubbed "iProd2,1" that were discovered in Apple's iOS software earlier this year have turned out to be the new Apple TV.

A developer looking through the USB device configuration list in the first iOS 4.2 beta discovered that the device is the new Apple TV, now referred to as "AppleTV2,1," according to TUAW.

When the references to an "iProd2" were found earlier this year, many assumed it was a new iPad in the works. That's because the first-generation iPad was represented by the name "iProd1,0" and later "iProd1,1" in early betas of iOS 3.0 software.

The information also serves as yet another piece of evidence that the new Apple TV interface is based on the iOS mobile operating system found on the iPhone and iPad. While Apple has revealed that its new set top box runs the same A4 processor as the iPhone 4, iPad and fourth-generation iPod touch, it has not revealed any connections to the new Apple TV software.

That led author Steven Sande to speculate it could mean that the new Apple TV could be "jailbroken" in much the same way the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad are, offering users the ability to modify their device's operating system and install software not allowed by Apple. A substantial modding community devoted to the original Apple TV also blossomed during that device's time on the market.

"Analysts have speculated that the onboard storage of the new Apple TV will be minimal, since the company has publicly stated that the device will support media streaming only," the report said. "As a result, if hackers are able to jailbreak the device, there may not be enough room to run custom apps, nor is it clear how those applications would interact with the Apple Remote."

Due to be released later this month, the new Apple TV is a quarter the size of its predecessor with limited internal storage. Instead, the new device focuses on streaming content, including TV episode rentals for 99 cents. It also carries a price less than half that of the original, at just $99.



26 Comments

mactel 18 Years · 1275 comments

Streaming games and apps would be good too from devices like you iPhone.

saarek 16 Years · 1586 comments

Would be awesome if they can jailbreak it so that you can plug an external HDD into the back for offline storage.

It's great that I can rent a moive, but on my slow connection it's not really feasible for the instant on world that Apple expects people with an Apple TV to have, I don't want to have to turn on my MacBook Pro just to stream movies and music etc across all the time. \

mariofreak85 18 Years · 202 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by MacTel

Streaming games and apps would be good too from devices like you iPhone.

That wold be AMAZING. That negates the need for storage on the Apple TV itself. It would also make the Apple TV multi-user. Each person has their own set of apps and settings on their own iPods/iPhones and the UI for the app is streamed to the Apple TV while using the iPod/iPhone as the controller.

I'm not sure how that would work with multi-taksing, unless Apple ads a feature similar to background audio that lets the app continue to stream while still in the background.

ireland 18 Years · 17436 comments

What nonsense is this fool writing. And i don't mean you.