Apple, the company that simplified computers, smartphones and tablets, is now looking to build a simplified TV remote according to a new patent discovered by Apple Insider. The patent, which is titled “Apparatus and Method to Facilitate Universal Remote Control,” describes a touchscreen-based controller that would eliminate the clutter found on today’s universal remotes. According to the application, Apple is looking  to use fewer buttons for a simplified experience. “The controls that are not normally used clutter the remote control and can cause confusion to the user when trying to locate a seldom-used feature,” the filing notes. Apple’s proposed solution is a remote that would include a “discovery mechanism” to discover available appliances for the device to control, eliminating complex codes and programing of individual devices. The remote would be able to detect which appliances are in range of the controller, graying out the devices that are out of range. The patent was made public this week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and was first filed in September 2011.

[Via AppleInsider]

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During the company’s earnings call on Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that Apple TV is “doing extremely well.” The Cupertino-based company sold a record 1.4 million units in the December quarter, though Cook says the product is still just a hobby. “We still classify this as a hobby, but we continue to add things to it,” he said. “I couldn’t live without it. We think it’s a fantastic product and we continue to pull strings and see where we can take it.” Cook also revealed that the company’s iCloud service now has 85 million users. “We’re thrilled with iCloud and the response from customers has been incredible,” he said. “It was a fundamental shift, recognizing that people had numerous devices and wanted their content in the cloud. 85 million customers in three months; It’s not a product, it’s a strategy for the next decade.”

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published documentation on 22 recently granted patents for Apple on Tuesday. The patents, as reported by Patently Apple, cover items including clothing technology that could be built into future running shoes, the advanced multitouch trackpads found in Macbooks, and the technology found in Apple TV. The most intriguing patent relates to Apple’s Nike + iPod product. This patent outlines a system for monitoring and controlling user exercises with a sensor inside the shoe. Unlike the normal Nike + sensors, however, the new sensors are designed to send the “tracked garment usage and detected wear patterns to the external database.” The sensor will be able to inform the user of the life of a product, and could possibly incorporate training programs using a “virtual trainer.” Read on for more.

Apple notes in the patent that the Nike + integration could go beyond running and could be used to track various outdoors activities. “Outdoors endurance activities have become very popular not only because they are enjoyable and healthy, but also because they provide opportunities for competition, camaraderie, and a structured regimen,” the patent application said. “It would be beneficial for an individual participating in an outdoor endurance activity such as running, cross-country skiing, in-line skating, or outdoor swimming to be able to monitor his or her performance in metrics such as speed, distance, slope, elevation, equipment used (thereby correlating an individual’s performance to particular running shoes, for example).”

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Apple will further extend its lead in the technology sector this year as it launches a number of new products that will leave its competition scrambling, a new report suggested on Tuesday. Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White made Apple his top pick in 2011 and the stock was his top performer, having grown 26% during his coverage. In 2012, Apple remains White’s top stock pick as a trio of new products is set to extend Apple’s lead in the new year. Read on for more.

“We believe Apple’s portfolio in 2012 has the opportunity to create more excitement around the story with our expectation for the unveiling of iTV, [an] ‘iPad mini’ and a major upgrade with the iPhone 5, while we expect the company to finally come to grips with its surging cash balance and issue its first cash dividend,” White wrote in a research note on Tuesday.

The analyst first reported in October that Apple would launch an “iPad mini” in 2012. While a number of reports suggested the new slate would in fact be a smaller iPad positioned between Apple’s high-end iPad and the iPod touch, White used the term “mini” to describe the upcoming tablet’s price point rather than its size. He sees Apple launching a new high-end iPad in 2012, and a less expensive mini model priced in the high to mid-$200 range will accompany it, White believes. More recent reports suggest that Apple will continue to sell the iPad 2 at a lower price once it launches the iPad 3.

Beyond a new iPad that will attack the market at a lower price point, the analyst sees two other Apple products as being huge for the Cupertino, California-based company this year.”We believe 2012 will be the year that Apple unveils iTV in pursuit of a new $100 billion plus LCD TV market opportunity, reinventing a product category with a Smart TV that delivers a clean, crisp and simple experience that connects seamlessly with the Apple digital ecosystem,” White wrote. “Last April, we were the first on the Street to uncover concrete evidence that a full blown Apple TV was already flowing through factories in China for prototype production and we believe it’s about time for the company to unveil its latest innovation.”

Finally, Ticonderoga believes Apple’s next-generation iPhone will feature a cosmetic redesign and a huge feature upgrade. “The iPhone 4S has been a big hit but we expect iPhone 5 to be even bigger with our expectations of a new unibody form factor, larger screen, NFC and 4G,” White wrote. BGR exclusively reported last month that Apple will launch a new iPhone this fall with a redesigned aluminum case.

Apple’s much rumored Siri-powered HDTV may offer a feature many TV viewers have been wanting for quite some time: customized channel lineups. According to Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu, Apple has its heart set on offering its customers customized programming. That means, for example, a user might be able to choose to pay for the ESPN and Comedy Central, but omit MTV and CNN. However, that may make licensing a lot messier. “This is obviously much more complicated from a licensing standpoint,” Wu said in a note to investors Wednesday. “And in our view, would change the game for television and give AAPL a big leg-up against the competition.” Wu also argued that Apple should continue to offer its Apple TV set-top box alongside its HDTV, Barron’s reports. The latest rumors have suggested that Sharp is already developing 32-inch and 37-inch LCD panels for the TV, which could launch during the second or third quarter next year. Apple is also already said to be holding meetings with top media executives about its television product, perhaps in an effort to iron out the licensing deals that would be required for customized channel lineups.

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Apple has reportedly met with top media executives to discuss the company’s vision of the television market’s future, suggesting that the company is moving full steam ahead on its rumored Siri-powered HDTV. The television is expected to include similar technology to the company’s current Apple TV set top box, which allows users to stream content such as movies, music and photos over a wireless network. Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue has reportedly been in the aforementioned meetings and has pitched the idea of  a television that could be controlled by voice or motion, seemingly similar to Microsoft’s Kinect technology, and Cue has discussed “new ways Apple’s technology could recognize users across phones, tablets and TVs,” The Wall Street Journal said Monday. Steve Jobs was said to have been working on a prototype for several years before his passing in 2011. It remains unclear when such a product might hit the market, although early rumors have suggested it will use a display provided by Sharp and will launch in mid-2012.

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Apple may launch an iMac with integrated “TV capability” before it launches its own full-blown HDTV, Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair said Wednesday. Blair said Apple’s new iMacs, which could launch during the first half of 2012, will integrate several features that are currently found in the Apple TV set top box and create a “slimmer all-in-one PC with TV capabilities.” Blair doesn’t make any mention of the Siri voice engine, which Apple is expected to use in its HDTV to completely remove any need for a remote control. “Apple could effectively start with what they already have on the manufacturing line and slowly push their offering from 27 inches and scale up from there to 32 inches and then move on to the 32, 50 and 55 inch market,” Blair explained. While such an idea might be attractive, a number of companies already offer coaxial cable accessories that allow users to watch TV on their Mac computers. Siri voice integration and Apple’s knack for developing killer user experiences are the ingredients that are likely required to make such a product truly ground-breaking.

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Apple’s latest developer build of iOS might not include the intriguing Siri enhancements that had been rumored earlier this month, but it does include references to several unannounced Apple devices. Some digging through the iOS 5.1 code has revealed three new device code names, giving developers new keywords to hunt down on their constant quest for information on upcoming Apple devices. The first, “iPad2,4,” could refer to a new version of the iPad 2 set to hit Sprint’s network, though we’re just months away from the expected launch of a new iPad so it would be odd for Sprint to adopt an older model so late in its life cycle. Also included in the new iOS build are references to the “iPad3,1″ and iPad3,2,” both of which have already been spied in earlier versions of iOS. Read on for more.

The second new code name, “J33,” refers to a refreshed Apple TV according to 9to5Mac. Reports from earlier this month suggested that a new Apple TV model is on the way, though no solid information is available regarding what the refresh might entail. Siri would be nice, though Apple would likely to hold off on bringing Siri to the big screen until its rumored HDTV is ready to ensure the new feature is novel.

Finally, the “iPhone5,1″ rears its head in this latest iOS beta, iOS developer Filippo Bigarella reports. The device’s launch name is still a mystery, but this is Apple’s next-generation iPhone that is currently expected to launch during the summer next year. Rumors suggest the new phone will feature a redesigned aluminum case, a new processor and a 4-inch display built by Sony and Hitachi.

Amazon and Best Buy are both offering the Apple TV for $89.99, $10 lower than Apple’s standard retail price, which suggests that the Cupertino-based company could be brewing up a refresh for the popular home entertainment box. In addition, Amazon has added a “2010″ label next to the gadget, indicating that a 2011 model is on the way (or that it is simply distinguishing it from the earlier version). In May, a rumor surfaced that suggested Apple was building a new Apple TV that will support full 1080p video output, iCloud, 16GB of storage and a new A5 processor. It is unclear when Apple might unveil the new unit, but it would certainly make sense for it to hit store shelves in time for the holidays. In any case, this rumor should not be confused with other speculation that Apple is hard at work developing a Siri-enabled television set.

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Apple has been planning to redesign the television since 2007 and when it finally launches the new set, it will replace the age-old remote control with Siri voice commands, The New York Times reported on Thursday. A recent quote from Steve Jobs’s biography — “I finally cracked it” —  began circulating recently and, for many, it seemed to solidify rumors that Apple was going to enter the television market. The New York Times believes that quote was actually in reference to Jobs’s realization that Siri could be used to control a TV much better than a remote or a combination of a mouse and keyboard. You might be able to say “Play Arrested Development,” or “turn on the weather” from the comfort of your couch, for example. “Absolutely, it is a guaranteed product for Apple,” one source told the The New York Times. “Steve thinks the industry is totally broken.” Apple is reportedly waiting for the price of displays to fall before it introduces the product to consumers, but an official announcement could come as soon as late-2012.

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Reports have suggested for more than a year that Apple is working on a smart TV product, and those reports were firmed up last week when an excerpt from Steve Jobs’s biography revealed that the Apple co-Founder was indeed working on an Apple television. ”I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,” Jobs said according to biographer Walter Isaacson. “It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud. It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.” In a note to investors on Monday, Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White said that the upcoming introduction of a smart TV represents a $100 billion revenue opportunity for the Cupertino, California-based consumer electronics giant. Read on for more.

White says Ticonderoga was the first Wall Street firm to uncover concrete evidence that Apple was working on a television of some kind, revealing in June that the product was already in early production stages. White says such a product will be a much more substantial opportunity for Apple than its current Apple TV set-top box. “We believe the TV experience is in need of greater simplicity and innovation, providing Apple with opportunity to yet reinvent another product category and develop even closer ties with its customers,” the analyst wrote.

“For Apple, we believe the Smart TV market represents a significant new revenue opportunity for the company, while bringing Apple into a consumer’s living room and providing the digital hub in a home,” White said, noting that DisplaySearch estimates the LCD TV market will generate $100 billion in revenue in 2011 and $102 billion next year. “We believe a product could hit the market in the coming quarters, opening up a new growth category for Apple and driving sales of existing products that play into the Apple digital ecosystem.”

White believes Apple’s smart TV will tie in closely with Apple’s digital ecosystem. He also believes Apple will charge between two and three times the cost of competing LCD TVs for its television product, which will feature “unmatched aesthetics” and an unrivaled user experience. “In our view, features such as Siri, FaceTime, the App Store, iTunes and gaming are a natural fit for a full blown Apple TV, combined with potential new features and technologies in the future,” White wrote, adding that deep integration with iTunes and iCloud is also a given.

Finally, White notes that Apple’s smart TV will be a great opportunity for the company to further expand its position in the video game market. He thinks Apple could make some key acquisitions and become a major player in home-based gaming, noting that Apple’s Game Center already has 67 million registered users.

Steve Jobs’s biography, written by Walter Isaacson and due on store shelves on Monday, has a passage that suggests Apple has a TV up its sleeves. The Washington Post published a small excerpt on Friday that reveals a conversation Jobs had with Isaacson in which he says he has already created a product that could change the television industry much like the iPhone changed the mobile landscape and the iPod re-sculpted the music industry. “He very much wanted to do for television sets what he had done for computers, music players, and phones: make them simple and elegant,” Isaacson said in the book. Here’s an excerpt:

“I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,” he told me. “It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud.” No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for DVD players and cable channels. “It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.”

Rumors that Apple has plans to enter the TV market have swirled for years now. In March, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty said checks in Asia suggested that Apple was already working on a smart TV. Earlier this summer, another rumor started by a former Apple employee said customers will soon be able to walk into an Apple Store and leave with an Apple-branded TV.

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Apple is reportedly close to inking deals with major movie studios that would allow the Cupertino-based company to stream movies to its iOS devices and PCs via iCloud. Los Angeles Times on Wednesday reported that Apple has been meeting with movie studios and is currently closing licensing deals that will allow its customers to purchase movies through iTunes and then stream them from iCloud to mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad, or even to Mac computers or Apple TV. The service would be similar to Hollywood’s just-launched UltraViolet product, though it would remove the requirement that customers purchase physical media before streaming content to their devices. The LA Times report states that Apple is expected to launch the service in late 2011 or early 2012.

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Enjoying a quiet Saturday? Well, Apple has just released iOS 5 beta 5 for developers. While the update continues the tradition of bringing OTA updates to iOS devices, beta 5 will require your device to be erased before being able to update — a little frustrating, though it’s obviously not meant for the general public. Apple also released an updated iTunes 10.5 beta 5 and Apple TV beta 4.

• I have noticed the ability to send a photo from the camera roll directly to the Messages app for iMessage or MMS, additionally the inclusion of a camera button in the camera roll to skip back to the camera after viewing a photo.
• The terrible autocorrect algorithm seems to have been fixed.

Apple issued an update to its Apple TV product on Monday that will allow users to stream purchased high-definition TV shows directly from iTunes. Specifically, Apple says the update will enable:

iTunes TV Shows: Purchase your favorite TV shows directly from the iTunes Store, and watch the shows you already own, commercial-free in HD.

Vimeo: Browse and play videos from Vimeo, access your video inbox, and mark videos you want to watch later.

When Apple first launched the Apple TV, it only allowed users to rent movies and shows and there was not an option to purchase titles for permanent ownership. For users in the U.S., Apple has also rolled out preliminary iCloud support with this update, allowing users to re-download some purchased television shows, though movie support is not yet available.

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