Lucky Number 3

There is an interesting rumor, and it is only rumor, that a new Apple TV model is in the works. This might just be the figment of someone's imagination, but I do like the sound of it.

The original Apple TV was a stand-alone box with an internal hard drive. You could load it up with movies, music, and photos, but also stream content from your iTunes on a networked computer. Last year, in September, Apple reworked it into Apple TV 2. This much smaller device lost the internal hard drive to make it a streaming only device.

Streaming only is not a bad thing. It made the Apple TV 2 more affordable, the price dropped to just $99. The more important piece of the puzzle happened when Apple added Airplay technology to their mobile devices. Now you can wirelessly transmit what you see on your iPad 2's screen to your big screen TV.

The other piece of the Apple TV puzzle was iOS. The updated Apple TV 2 runs on iOS, the same OS that powers the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch. This was big news since it should only take a little bit more work and we could get iPad or iPhone Apps on an Apple TV.

This is where the news of a new Apple TV 3 comes in. This next gen TV device is rumored to have the newer Apple A5 processor, which is used in the iPad 2 and the new iPhone 4S. The next big rumor is that Apple TV 3 will have Bluetooth. If this is true it's a huge move to getting Apps on the Apple TV. If Bluetooth is part the next Apple TV, now we can use a keyboard, mouse, or trackpad to control it. This means Apps.

Apple TV 2 is now over two years old. This means that it is due to be updated sometime soon. I’ve got my fingers crossed while I wait for the next Apple TV.