In a new update to the Apple TV, the device was finally given a way to use Siri, enabling the user to control the device with their voice.
Currently, however, that feature is not connected in any way to the user’s smartphone, meaning that a user can’t use Siri on their iPhone to control their TV. That is soon going to change.
“We’re working on a new Apple TV remote app that will give you the full functionality of the Siri Remote on your iPhone,” said Apple SVP Eddy Cue in an interview with BuzzFeed. “We’re hoping to ship that in the first half of next year.”
Extending the Apple TV’s voice control functionality to the iPhone will certainly be very helpful to a large number of Apple TV users. Siri, of course, is the iPhone’s voice assistant. When the app finally does launch, users will be able to ask Siri, from their iPhone, to play content on the TV.
In addition to Siri integration, Cue seems to be very optimistic about the future of Apple TV, and he discussed the fact that there are already over 2,000 apps on the App Store for the device. Developer interest will be vital to the adoption rate of Apple TV, as it was in the adoption rate of the iPhone.
Unfortunately, it seems as though Apple’s long-rumored TV subscription service might be a while away. Cue didn’t talk much about the rumors in his interview, but he did talk about the fact that he thinks the future of the TV is apps, so, for example, we could see an app for local TV programming or for other TV subscription services.
[“source-techtimes”]
