A couple of AppleTV firmware findings has raised some interesting possibilities with regard to Apple's new Apple TV and AirPlay streaming service. With the news that AppleTV was iOS based, everyone quickly jumped to the natural prediction that we will be able to run iOS apps on the Apple TV. But the converse to that is also true. Since the Apple TV is just an iOS device, users should be able to eventually run the Apple TV experience (called Lowtide.app) on an iPad. It seems Apple is already putting these pieces in place.
TUAW notes the Apple TV interface application has settings that indicate compatibility with the iPad as a hidden service.
Because of this setting, Lowtide would probably be run as silent service, presenting its interface only when its features were requested. The iPad's camera connection kit software works very much in this way, opening only when a DCIM camera is attached. The iPad would likely respond to streaming Airplay requests by opening Lowtide, if a future version of its OS included the application.
This means that you may eventually be able to start watching videos on your Apple TV or iTunes, and then finish watching it on your iPad. The Apple TV interface also allows you do to something new on iOS devices -- stream content straight from the iTunes Store. This streaming-only requirement of the new Apple TV was one of the big changes over the previous model. And given all the talk of Apple moving into cloud computing, it seems that this could naturally extend into remote wireless (3G) streaming. TUAW notes that the full Lowtide.app can't run on existing iOS devices due to missing frameworks, but one user has managed to install the Apple TV's airtunesd (AirTunes Daemon) component onto his iPhone 4, allowing him to stream audio to his phone from Airfoil or iTunes.
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
