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Apple Launches Apple TV 3.0 Software and iTunes 9.0.2 [Updated]


Apple today announced the launch of Apple TV 3.0 software, offering a redesigned user interface and compatibility with Apple's iTunes LPs and iTunes Extras, as well as Genius Mixes and Internet radio.

"The new software for Apple TV features a simpler and faster interface that gives you instant access to your favorite content," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of Internet Services. "HD movies and HD TV shows from iTunes have been a huge hit with Apple TV customers, and with Apple TV 3.0 they get great new features including iTunes Extras, Genius Mixes and Internet radio."

The redesigned main menu offers direct access to recently rented and purchased movies, as well as a wide assortment of other content. iTunes LPs and iTunes Extras are available in full-screen, enhancing the viewer experience for audio and video titles.

The addition of Genius Mixes, a feature first introduced last month with iTunes 9, allows users to listen to automatically-selected playlists generated from their iTunes libraries, while the Apple TV 3.0 software also includes support for listening to thousands of Internet radio stations. Finally, the updated software includes additional enhancements for photo viewing, enabling the Apple TV to take advantage of the Faces and Events features found in Apple's iPhoto desktop application.

The impending release of the updated Apple TV software was suggested earlier today by an update to the iTunes Store Terms and Conditions mentioning the 3.0 software.

Update: Apple has also released iTunes 9.0.2, adding support for Apple TV 3.0, a new "dark" viewing option for Grid View, and additional accessibility support.

iTunes 9.0.2 adds support for Apple TV software version 3.0, adds an option for a dark background for Grid View, and improves support for accessibility.

Update 2: PreCentral reports that iTunes 9.0.2 once again breaks media syncing on the Palm Pre.

Here we go again. Apple has updated iTunes to version 9.0.2 and Palm Pre sync is dead again using webOS 1.2.1, despite Palm's Hurculean efforts to spoof nearly every aspect of USB identification known to mankind. As with previous breakages, iTunes does launch when you connect a Pre with Media Mode, but it doesn't appear as a device on the sidebar.

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30 months ago
Apple releases Apple TV Software Update 3.0. Looks good. Press release from Apple:

Apple Introduces Apple TV 3.0 Software With Redesigned User Interface

Enjoy iTunes Extras, iTunes LP & Genius Mixes on Your HD TV

CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today introduced new Apple TV® 3.0 software featuring a redesigned main menu that makes navigating your favorite content simpler and faster, and makes enjoying the largest selection of on-demand HD movie rentals and purchases, HD TV shows, music and podcasts from the iTunes® Store even better on your TV. You can now enjoy iTunes Extras and iTunes LP in stunning fullscreen with your Apple TV, as well as listen to Genius Mixes and Internet radio through your home theater system. The new Apple TV software is available immediately free of charge to existing Apple TV owners, and Apple TV with 160GB capacity is available for just $229.

"The new software for Apple TV features a simpler and faster interface that gives you instant access to your favorite content," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of Internet Services. "HD movies and HD TV shows from iTunes have been a huge hit with Apple TV customers, and with Apple TV 3.0 they get great new features including iTunes Extras, Genius Mixes and Internet radio."

The redesigned main menu on Apple TV gives you instant access to your favorite content. Recently rented or purchased movies, as well as other content including TV shows, music, podcasts, photos and YouTube, are accessible directly from the new main menu. The new software also allows Apple TV users to enjoy stunning fullscreen iTunes Extras and iTunes LP, including great new movie titles such as "Star Trek" or classics like "The Wizard of Oz" and albums such as Taylor Swift's "Fearless (Platinum Edition)" and Jack Johnson's "En Concert." iTunes Extras gives movie fans great additional content such as deleted scenes, interviews and interactive galleries. iTunes LP is the next evolution of the music album, delivering a rich, immersive experience for select albums on the iTunes Store by combining beautiful design with expanded visual features like live performance videos, lyrics, artwork, liner notes, interviews, photos, album credits and more.

Now Apple TV users can enjoy Genius Mixes through their home theater system and listen to up to 12 endless mixes of songs that go great together, automatically generated from their iTunes library. Customers can also enjoy Internet radio, allowing them to browse and listen to thousands of Internet radio stations, as well as tag favorite stations to listen to later. Apple TV's support of HD photos is enhanced with iPhoto Events, which simplifies finding your favorite photos on Apple TV, as well as iPhoto® Faces, which gives access to photos organized by people identified in iPhoto.

Apple TV users have direct access to a catalog of over 8,000 Hollywood films on iTunes including over 2,000 in stunning HD video available for rent or purchase. Users can also choose from a selection of 11 million songs, 10,000 music videos and over 50,000 TV episodes to purchase directly from their Apple TV or browse and enjoy the iTunes Store podcast directory of over 175,000 free video and audio podcasts. Purchases downloaded to Apple TV are automatically synced back to iTunes on the user's computer for enjoyment on their Mac® or PC or all current generation iPods or iPhones.* iPod touch® or iPhone® users can download the free Remote app from the App Store to control their Apple TV with a simple tap or flick of the finger.

Pricing & Availability
The new Apple TV software is available as a free automatic download to all Apple TV customers. The 160GB Apple TV is available from the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $229 (US). Apple TV requires an 802.11b/g/n wireless network or 10/100 Base-T Ethernet networking, a broadband Internet connection and a high definition widescreen TV. Video availability varies by country.

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30 months ago
Not showing up for me yet :( boo.

Saw this image on Gizmodo.

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30 months ago
This a joke? Not showing up for me.
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30 months ago

This a joke? Not showing up for me.



Hehe nah it's real.

Check it

http://www.apple.com/appletv/?cid=WWW-NAUS-ITMS-TRAILERS-APPLETV

Ahhhh it's updating now.
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30 months ago
I'm updating also!

New GUI looks much sleeker!
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30 months ago
The new GUI is much sleeker!

Downloading now.. can't wait to have a full play and see if there's any hidden gems.
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30 months ago
awesome.. cant wait to get home and play around with it... I'm sure its gonna be alot better with a few glitches I didnt like. :):):apple:
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30 months ago
Great, now it's that much harder to resist buying one...
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30 months ago
Can anyone tell us if this gives us 1080i?
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30 months ago
still no avi/mkv support? Booooooooooo!
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives

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