Since the release of the Steve Jobs biography, there has been a plethora of speculation regarding the interface the upcoming AppleTV. For the most part, the speculators are missing the mark.
Pundits argue that voice control would be difficult to implement in a TV because of the background noise from the TV itself. You would wind up with an interface like this 30 Rock sketch. But Apple has already solved that problem. What happens when you lift your iPhone to your ear while music is playing? The music is muted to allow for a Siri voice command. There is no reason why this technology couldn’t be introduced into a TV interface as well. Perhaps it doesn’t fully mute, but reduces the volume just enough to allow the voice command to be heard. However, I think the real common components of the interface won’t be voice activated, but rather dependent on two other key technologies: multi-touch and motion.
Imagine a remote that looks like an iPhone, but with the following capabilities:
- A dynamic multi-touch interface that redraws the buttons depending on what functionality you need.
- A voice activated (hold to ear) command capability. “Record the next new episode of Walking Dead.”
- Two finger swipe up to channel up, two fingers down for channel down. Left for volume down, right for volume up.
- Motion activated “guide mode” flick your wrist to move up and down in the guide.
- Multi-touch for common commands. Three finger pinch in for the guide, three finger pinch out for the menu. These could be user-selectable.
- Integration with Siri via iCloud. While away from home, tell Siri to record a show and Siri relays the command via iCloud to your AppleTV
By piecing together the intellectual property that Apple has already implemented in other devices, it could completely redesign the interface for television in a drastic way. More importantly, it would redefine the interface in a way that would be comfortable to existing Apple product users. There wouldn’t be a significant learning curve when you control your AppleTV. With an accelerometer and multi-touch the remote also allows for the AppleTV to have an integrated controller for iOS games on the big screen. In fact, there is no reason why your iPhone or iTouch couldn’t just run a “Remote” application.
Apple has solved the TV interface problem with technologies that are right under our fingertips right now.
