Apple Releases Apple TV 'Take 2' Update [Updated]

Tuesday February 12, 2008 9:43 am PST by Arnold Kim

Apple has released the Take 2 update for the Apple TV today. The software update is available for download from your Apple TV itself. The free software update allows Apple TV owners to rent movies without the use of a computer in standard and high definition formats. Library titles cost $2.99 and new releases are $3.99. High definition versions add $1 to the price of rental. Movies can be kept for 30 days, but expire within 24 hours of playback.

Apple provides a guided tour of the new features of Apple TV.

Now that some readers have installed the latest Apple TV update, here are some interesting notes plucked from the discussion thread.

- New startup video when booting Apple TV (Youtube video)
- Apple TV can now be used with AirTunes, replicating Airport Express behavior. Will also stream Title, and Album cover. You can also control the iTunes music via the Apple TV (with the remote). Also supports streaming radio.
- Login to Youtube now supported, with subscriptions and favorites
- Fastforward and rewind performance has been improved
- You still need a TV that can accept Component or HDMI
- Anecdotal reports of better decoding performance.
- 1080p signal output, but max resolution Apple TV can display is still 720p
- Apple TV Setup Manual (PDF) posted.
- The Apple TV hardware remains the same. This is a software upgrade only.
- HD Movie Previews not necessarily representative of rental quality. (link)

Further discussion in our Apple TV forum.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 14

Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)

Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater

Top Stories

Rumor: Apple to Announce Third-Generation AirPods and HiFi Apple Music Tier on May 18

Thursday May 13, 2021 10:32 pm PDT by Sami Fathi

A new rumor suggests that Apple will announce the third-generation AirPods and the recently rumored HiFi, or high-fidelity Apple Music tier, on Tuesday, May 18, via a press release on its website. The new rumor comes from Apple YouTuber Luke Miani who shared the alleged exclusive news with the AppleTrack website. According to the YouTuber, Apple plans to release the next-generation AirPods...

Read Full Article • 149 comments

Apple Fires Newly Hired Ex-Facebook Product Manager Following Revelations of Past Misogynistic Comments

Thursday May 13, 2021 12:10 am PDT by Sami Fathi

Apple has fired Antonio García Martínez, an ex-Facebook product manager and author of the controversial book "Chaos Monkeys," following public and internal calls for removal and investigation due to past misogynistic statements, The Verge reports. Apple hired Martínez earlier this week to join its ads team, however, comments that Martínez made in the past sparked condemnation from users...

Read Full Article • 321 comments

M1 iMac is Up to 56% Faster Than Prior-Generation High-End 21.5-Inch iMac

Wednesday May 12, 2021 10:03 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple's M1 iMacs are set to start delivering to customers next week, and ahead of the official launch day, benchmarks for the machines have been showing up on Geekbench, likely from reviewers who are testing them. It will come as no surprise that M1 iMac benchmarks are right on par with benchmarks for the M1 MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini, coming in with an average single-core score...

Read Full Article • 276 comments

2021 MacBook Pro Leaks Confirm Returning MagSafe and Ports

Friday May 14, 2021 3:06 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple's upcoming MacBook Pro models are expected to feature a number of major changes such as larger display options and powerful new Apple silicon chips. Among the more surprising updates to this year's MacBook Pro models is the return of three ports that have been missing from the machines for over five years. Expected to come in 14- and 16-inch sizes, the 2021 MacBook Pro models are...

Read Full Article

Judge in Epic vs. Apple Case Floats Potential Compromise

Wednesday May 12, 2021 3:54 pm PDT by Juli Clover

In the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, the two companies are this week calling up their expert witnesses to argue their points before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will make a decision in the case after a three week trial. Expert testimony is not as exciting as some of the leaked App Store documents that were highlighted last week, especially as much of what's being...

Read Full Article • 260 comments

PSA: Google Photos Unlimited Storage Ends Next Month, Here's How to Export Your Pictures to iCloud

Thursday May 13, 2021 5:26 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

For as long as it's existed, Google Photos has offered free unlimited storage for uploading images at a reduced yet good enough quality for most users. From June 1, 2021, however, all photos and videos uploaded to Google accounts will count against users' cloud storage. If you've been relying on Google to back up your media library, it may be time to move that content elsewhere. This article...

Read Full Article • 105 comments

AirTag Used to Successfully Track a Mailed Package Across the UK

Wednesday May 12, 2021 8:44 am PDT by Sami Fathi

An Apple customer in the United Kingdom has successfully used Apple's Find My network to track an AirTag as it was being sent by mail to a friend in a completely different city. Outlined in a blog post at Intego, Kirk McElhearn said he taped an AirTag to a piece of card, wrapped it inside a small bubble envelope, and then sent it on its way. Kirk lives in the small town of...

Read Full Article • 153 comments

M1 iPad Pro Over 50% Faster Than Previous Generation in Early Benchmarks

Tuesday May 11, 2021 11:56 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Last month, Apple introduced a new iPad Pro with the same M1 chip found in the latest Macs, and early benchmark results indicate that the M1 iPad Pro is over 50% faster than the previous-generation iPad Pro. Based on five legitimate Geekbench 5 results (here's the fifth) for the fifth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro with the M1 chip, the device has average single-core and multi-core scores of...

Read Full Article • 379 comments

Images Reveal Colorful New MacBook Air Design

Tuesday May 11, 2021 5:06 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple's next MacBook Air will feature a completely new design and come in a range of colors like the 24-inch iMac, according to leaker Jon Prosser, who has now released supposedly accurate renders of the new machines based on leaked images. In a new video uploaded to YouTube channel Front Page Tech, Prosser elaborated on his previous prediction that Apple's next-generation MacBook Air models ...

Read Full Article • 132 comments

iPhone 13 Models Will Be Slightly Thicker and Will Have Larger Camera Bumps

Monday May 10, 2021 10:41 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 models will be slightly thicker than the iPhone 12 models and will also feature larger, thicker camera bumps with lenses that protrude less, according to iPhone 13 schematics seen by MacRumors. The new iPhone 13 and 13 Pro models are expected to feature a thickness of 7.57mm, up from 7.4mm in the iPhone 12 models. That's an increase of 0.17mm, which won't be hugely ...

Read Full Article • 221 comments