New Apple TV: $99, Netflix streaming, 99-cent TV rentals
After a flurry of last-minute rumors, Apple announced its completely revamped Apple TV at its keynote Wednesday, featuring a much smaller design, 99-cent TV rentals from ABC and Fox, and Netflix streaming capabilities. The new Apple TV will come out in late September and will cost $99, which is a large decrease from the current $230 price of the old Apple TV.Apple TV, second-generation (photos)See full gallery1 - 4 / 6NextPrevThe new design is about a quarter the size of the original Apple TV, and its connectivity has been stripped to just five ports: HDMI, optical digital audio output, USB, Ethernet, and power. There's also built-in Wi-Fi, so you won't need to drag an Ethernet cord into the living room. Unlike the old model, the new Apple TV doesn't have onboard storage, instead it streams all content either directing from the Internet or other devices on your home network. The capability to switch from watching a video on your iPad to your Apple TV was shown during the keynote, but as of now it's unclear what content--iTunes rentals, YouTube, and so on--you can use with that functionality. Apple is also including an updated aluminum remote control.The 99-cent TV rentals, even for HD content, from Disney and Fox represent a significant break from current online TV streaming prices. Services such as iTunes and Amazon Video on Demand currently offer you the capability to purchase TV episodes for $2 ($3 for HD episodes) and don't have rental options. While the selection of TV shows is limited to just ABC and Fox for now, the availability of cheap TV rentals that can be watched on your Apple TV, iPhone or iPad, is an attractive package, especially for those looking to ditch their monthly cable subscription. Apple also announced that they're doing away with the capability to purchase movies, moving to a rental-only pricing plan for movies on the Apple TV as well. The Apple TV's Netflix interface.AppleThe addition of Netflix streaming is also a big change for Apple TV, which was previously limited to iTunes and YouTube streaming video content. Apple TV has lagged behind its competitors with Netflix streaming capabilities, as it's widely available on Blu-ray players, game consoles, HDTVs and set-top boxes like the Roku Digital Video Player. Even other Apple products, including both the iPad and iPhone, have been capable of streaming Netflix before the Apple TV.
Bjork's Biophilia is the first app in MoMA's collection
Bjork's Biophilia is the first app in MoMA's collection
The argument over whether games can be art is pretty much over (of course they can), but a new acquisition by New York's Museum of Modern Art raises an interesting iteration of that question: can apps be art?Well, yes. We've seen more than a few that would qualify; but it's Bjork's groundbreaking experiment Biophilia, an interactive experience designed to accompany her album of the same name, that has received the honour of being the first downloadable app to be inducted into MoMA's collection.The app, wrote Paola Antonelli, senior curator of the Department of Architecture and Design, is a strong reflection of Bjork's interest in collaborative projects -- not just with the artists, engineers and musicians who helped create Biophilia, but the users who participate in the experience.Originally launched in July 2011, the app was the first of its kind: an accompaniment to an album by a world-renowned musician, designed to allow users to explore the music more fully through the medium of a touchscreen. Launching the app, users are transported to the Biophilia "galaxy", where flying around the songs, represented by glowing stars, listening to a strange melange of sounds.Related articlesRadiohead mobile "game" is a beautiful, explorable fantasylandBrian Eno and Karl Hyde: How many shapes can dance on a record?Tapping on a song lets you play a minigame related to the song, view an interactive animation, read an analysis of the song, listen to it with an animation, view the lyrics or listen to it while following along with the score.Each song has a different minigame. In the song "Crystalline", for example, you play a sort of endless runner, tilting your device to collect crystals as you travel through a hexagonal tunnel. On "Moon", you have to rotate strings of pearls curling out from the bone structure of a lower abdomen in order to produce notes. In "Dark Matter", you touch glowing orbs to create different note scales, observing their intersecting lines and the flow between them."The scientific term biophilia refers to research that suggests an instinctive biological bond between humans and other living systems. This suggestive link forms a powerful subtext to both the lyrics and visuals of the 10 songs in the app," Antonelli wrote. "I started thinking about acquiring Biophilia when it was released, in 2011. At that time, a year after the iPad had been introduced, designers and developers were excitedly experimenting with apps that took advantage of a screen bigger than the iPhone. With Biophilia however, Bjork truly innovated the way people experience music by letting them participate in performing and making the music and visuals, rather than just listening passively."Biophilia can be viewed at the museum, or downloaded for free from Google Play and the iTunes app store.
The argument over whether games can be art is pretty much over (of course they can), but a new acquisition by New York's Museum of Modern Art raises an interesting iteration of that question: can apps be art?Well, yes. We've seen more than a few that would qualify; but it's Bjork's groundbreaking experiment Biophilia, an interactive experience designed to accompany her album of the same name, that has received the honour of being the first downloadable app to be inducted into MoMA's collection.The app, wrote Paola Antonelli, senior curator of the Department of Architecture and Design, is a strong reflection of Bjork's interest in collaborative projects -- not just with the artists, engineers and musicians who helped create Biophilia, but the users who participate in the experience.Originally launched in July 2011, the app was the first of its kind: an accompaniment to an album by a world-renowned musician, designed to allow users to explore the music more fully through the medium of a touchscreen. Launching the app, users are transported to the Biophilia "galaxy", where flying around the songs, represented by glowing stars, listening to a strange melange of sounds.Related articlesRadiohead mobile "game" is a beautiful, explorable fantasylandBrian Eno and Karl Hyde: How many shapes can dance on a record?Tapping on a song lets you play a minigame related to the song, view an interactive animation, read an analysis of the song, listen to it with an animation, view the lyrics or listen to it while following along with the score.Each song has a different minigame. In the song "Crystalline", for example, you play a sort of endless runner, tilting your device to collect crystals as you travel through a hexagonal tunnel. On "Moon", you have to rotate strings of pearls curling out from the bone structure of a lower abdomen in order to produce notes. In "Dark Matter", you touch glowing orbs to create different note scales, observing their intersecting lines and the flow between them."The scientific term biophilia refers to research that suggests an instinctive biological bond between humans and other living systems. This suggestive link forms a powerful subtext to both the lyrics and visuals of the 10 songs in the app," Antonelli wrote. "I started thinking about acquiring Biophilia when it was released, in 2011. At that time, a year after the iPad had been introduced, designers and developers were excitedly experimenting with apps that took advantage of a screen bigger than the iPhone. With Biophilia however, Bjork truly innovated the way people experience music by letting them participate in performing and making the music and visuals, rather than just listening passively."Biophilia can be viewed at the museum, or downloaded for free from Google Play and the iTunes app store.
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