While tech enthusiasts and pundits are desperately waiting for Apple to unveil its new iPhones at an event which has been scheduled to take place on September 10, the company might throw in a surprise by unveiling a refresh of its media player, Apple TV, perhaps as the 'one more thing' announcement at the event.
It's known that Apple is testing a new version of the Apple TV operating system with developers. However, according to a new blog post by Panjiva, which calls itself a leading intelligence platform for global trade professionals, Apple has received three shipments of products marked as "Set Top Box with Communication Function" from BYD Precision Manufacture in Shenzhen, China.
The blog claims that it found the original bill of landing data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security through its Panjiva Shipment Search tool. It mentions that the three shipments were received by Apple on August 11, August 18 and August 25, weighing 7,044kgs, 16,628kgs and 16,628kgs, respectively and being marked as "Set Top Box with Communication Function", "Set Top Boxes" and "Set Top Box with Communication Function," respectively.
It also adds that the most recent "set top boxes" shipment to Apple, prior to these, took place on December 5, 2012, from Hon Hai. The shipment contained Apple TV's, with the A1427 model number listed on the bill of lading.
While it could be possible that the new shipments also comprise of the current generation Apple TVs and Apple is simply shifting suppliers, the move to a new supplier could also mean that the said shipment is of a different device. No one except people inside Apple would know for sure whether the boxes are of a new iteration of Apple TV or a revamped new TV device that Apple's rumoured to launch in the future.
If it did receive new Apple TV hardware then it's likely that Apple could launch it along with the new iPhone(s). The last Apple TV refresh was in March 2012, though Apple did make some changes to the media player's internal components, as per some reports, earlier this year.
Apple TV is a media streamer that lets users play content from popular services like YouTube, Netflix and Hulu Plus, as well as some other services like Vimeo, Vevo and HBO Go. It also offers access to Apple's iTunes Store, through which users can purchase or rent movies, or buy music. One of the major highlights of the Apple TV is support for Airplay which allows users to stream content wirelessly (over Wi-Fi) from any iOS device or iTunes (Mac as well as Windows) to the Apple TV. It can also be used to wirelessly mirror the display of iOS devices as well as Macs
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