Apple, Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) may be readying a revamped version of its Apple TV product which will eliminate its set-top box form factor and move the media player into a tiny device running the iPhone OS, according to a new report from Engadget.
The technology blog cited an anonymous sources that says the next Apple TV can be best described as a “an iPhone without a screen,” saying that the device only has two ports, a power socket and a video out (potentially HDMI) and that the device will be based on the same architecture as the iPad and the upcoming iPhone, the A4 chip.
The next version is rumored to cost only $100.00, significantly lower than the $230.00 price point, and will have 16GB of Flash storage and support for 1080P HD video.
Engadget also reported that the device will have a strong focus on cloud-based media, suggesting that most of the video you view may be streamed from the internet.
Other reports have suggested that Apple is building a gigantic data center and with Apple’s recent acquisition of music-streaming service, Lala, the rumors appear to be plausible. Other sources have suggested that Apple may reboot iTunes into a streaming media center.
