A new report from 9to5mac indicates that Apple is about to implement Bluetooth in its Apple TV products.
The report highlighted that the new functionality only allows users to connect a wireless keyboard, however pairing a Bluetooth speaker and Macs are not supported as yet.
From the report:
[quote] As we first discovered in the iOS software code a year ago, Apple is finally ready to implement Bluetooth in its Apple TV products. The latest Apple TV beta not only has a new Bluetooth menu but you can pair wireless keyboards to both the second- and third-gen Apple TV.
Once connected, you can use a wireless keyboard to completely control the Apple TV without using the includedremote. The arrow keys function for navigation, the Return key is the play/pause, and the Escape key maps to ‘menu’ or up ‘one level’ functionality.
More importantly, searching for content becomes a thousand times easier when you can enter search terms with a hard keyboard.[/quote]
This feature can potentially lead to other functionality of the current Apple TVs. 9to5mac reports that the, “the move also opens the door to a more effective remote from Apple. It has long been thought that a Bluetooth-connected remote could also contain a noise-canceling mic for Siri input through a A2DP connection.”
However, I’m more excited about how this feature could lead to iOS supporting a game controller hardware.
An Anandtech article highlighted that this is one area in which iOS is lagging behind Android.
From the article:
[quote] I know of an internal Apple project to bring a physical controller to market, but whether or not it will ever see the light of day remains to be seen. As smartphones and tablets come close to equalling the performance of current game consoles, I feel like the controller problem must be addressed.[/quote]
