Ars Technica has confirmed that the new Apple TV software and features won’t be coming to the old Apple TV.

We confirmed with an Apple spokesperson that the maximum HD resolution of the Apple TV is 720p, consistent with recent rumors. Additionally, there will be no software update to bring the new features to older Apple TVs. Older Apple TVs will continue to work as they have been working up to this point, and they will continue to be able to purchase movies and TV shows even though the new Apple TV is rental-only.

Though it stands to reason, given that the old Apple TV runs a variation of OS X (Tiger?) on Intel and the new one runs a variation of iOS (4.x?) on Apple A4, and Apple probably doesn’t want to devote any resources to making a distinct update to a now dead system, those expecting TV rentals and Netflix support will no doubt be unhappy.

However, those who preferred to be able to sync and buy their media on-device won’t be shedding any tears, or trying to avoid any updates that take those features away.

Which side are you on? And does this change anyone’s mind about updating?

[Ars]

Old Apple TV won’t be getting new Apple TV features is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Dieter’s at the IFA show in Berlin, Germany and he’s scored us a first look at mophie’s upcoming juice pack air for iPhone 4. It’s got soft touch paint and they claim ZERO signal degredation because the entire PCB board is on the bottom, so there are no electronics around the antenna. It’s shipping to Apple now and will be available in “Nationwide retailers” next week for $79.95.

Mophie Juice Pack air for iPhone 4 comes in black, white, red, and green and “virtually doubles your power”. 6 hours talk time, 5 hours internet 3G, and 9 hours on wifi courtesy of a 1500mAh battery. It also sports pass-through USB for power, iTunes sync, and can be switched off when not in use.

What Dieter saw was prototype hardware, but felt very thin and good to him, especially the soft touch finish.

Also being shown off was the juice pack power station, which sports 2.1 Amp output so it can power an iPad. This one rates 3600 mAh and has a USB cable included to charge it. And the Marketplace, which we saw an early version of back at Macworld, is now ramped up with Intuit GoPayment and is available now for $179.95 plus GoPayment service.

Hands-on photos after the break!

mophie juice pack air for iPhone 4 preview is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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The TiPb forums are naturally a great place to talk, commiserate, celebrate, get help, and offer advice to your fellow iPhone users. In order to create a new thread of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is easy and free so if you haven't already head on over and register now!

• Discuss your reactions to the official Apple 2010 Special Music event here. Was it what you expected? Disappointed? Let us know!

• iTunes 10 with Ping was released yesterday, give us your thoughts on this latest version!

• Want to discuss iOS 4.1? This is the thread to do so: iOS 4.1 update.

• Might as well chat up the iOS 4.2 as well, do so here: iOS 4.2.

See you in the forums!

Post Apple Music Event 2010 – From the Forums is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Once again Steve Jobs put sneaker to stage and at the Apple Special Music Event 2010 wowed the crowed with new gorgeous new hardware, stunning new software, and… services of a sort. The big stories were iOS 4.1 and iOS 4.2, the new iPod touch, iPod nano, and Apple TV, and iTunes 10 with its Ping music social network, and of course, what we didn’t get.

The full story… well, here it is in handy bullet-point form.

Event coverage

• Apple Special Music Event 2010 streaming video
• Apple Special Music Event — Watch along with TiPb! (Live blog)
• Poll: What did you like (or not like) about Apple's 2010 iTunes/iPod event?
• Apple special music event – what we didn't get

iOS 4.1 and iOS 4.2

• iOS 4.2 coming soon for iPad… and iPhone
• iOS 4.1 for iPhone, iPod touch next week, iOS 4.2 for iPad in November
• iOS 4.1 to fix proximity sensor, Bluetooth, and iPhone 3G performance bugs
• iOS 4.1 Gold Master now available to developers
• 120,000,000 iOS devices sold, 250,000 apps, 6.5 billion downloads – by the numbers
• Steve Jobs: 230,000 iOS activations a day, not counting upgrades like Google. Google responds.

New iPod touch, iPod nano, Apple TV

• Apple releases new iPod touch, iPod nano commercials
• Apple introduces iPod touch with Retina Display, FaceTime, HD Video
• Apple introduces tiny, iPhone-like multitouch iPod nano
• New Apple TV, 1/4 the size, streaming only, rental only, Netflix, $99
• Apple TV has A4 chip, iOS, so where are the apps, games, a web browser?

Epic gaming

• Epic Citadel for iPhone, iPad demo now in App Store
• Steve Jobs: iPod touch more popular than Nintendo DS and Sony PSP combined

iTunes 10 and Ping social music network

• Apple introduces iTunes 10 with new icon, streamlined UI, Ping social network
• iOS 4 Ping social music network gallery
• iTunes 10 Ping social music network gallery

Apple Special Music Event 2010 round-up is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Yesterday during Apple’s annual Special Music Event Steve Jobs announced that the iPod touch was more popular than both Nintendo’s DS and Sony’s PSP… combined. Jobs also said more than 1.5 billion games and entertainment apps have been downloaded by iPod touch devices to date.

However, as every gadget and gaming blog has since pointed out, while iPod touch has sold in the mid tens of millions of units (Apple doesn’t often break them out), Nintendo’s DS series has sold 132 million all on its lonesome, so take this with a “biggest mobile company” type grain of salt.

[Engadget, thanks also to Freaknasty]

Steve Jobs: iPod touch more popular than Nintendo DS and Sony PSP combined is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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If Steve Jobs announced that iOS 4.2 would be coming to iPhone during his keynote a the special music event yesterday, I missed it, but that’s what Apple.com’s new preview page says:

Look for iOS 4.2 coming in November for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.1

(That footnote reads “not compatible with all models” so likely iPhone 2G and iPod touch G1 miss out again).

What will distinguish iOS 4.2 on iPhone from iOS 4.1? Only a few things leap out at me:

• Wireless printing, so we can shoot docs from our iOS device to a receptive paper printer. (Not word on compatibility requirements yet though).

• AirPlay, which takes AirTunes to another level with streaming video and pictures, and should let us beam content from iPhone or iPod touch to the new Apple TV. (Perfect to take a movie to friends or family).

• Find text on web page, finally. In Safari, easily search for and highlight specific words and phrases.

Most importantly, does this mean we’ll finally see Grand Unification of iOS in our lifetimes? Have the forces of fracture failed? Developers will hopefully find out soon. Consumers get it in November.

iOS 4.2 coming soon for iPad… and iPhone is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Full Sprint Epic 4G review – Galaxy Tab preview

Phil and Dieter over at sibling site Android Central have gone a little Samsung Galaxy-class crazy, with a full review of the Sprint Epic 4G and an advanced look at the Galaxy Tab tablet (including hands-on video and spec shootout vs. our own iPad).

So is the Epic 4G… epic?

Compared to the other Samsung Galaxy S phones, the Sprint Epic 4G has a leg up in several departments. There’s the keyboard, of course, which is pretty darn good. Not perfect, but above average. The addition of a 4G radio is a big plus. But along with that comes a slightly higher phone bill, and battery usage. (Same is true with the Evo 4G, of course.)

And is the Galaxy Tab fit for launch?

As it is, we can’t say for sure just how the Galaxy Tab will fare – its fate is tied to the release date, carrier customization, and most-of-all app support from developers. It’s not enough that the Tab has access to the market, it needs Android apps that by hook-or-crook take advantage of this extra screen size and the powerful processor. Samsung’s fate isn’t entirely out of their hands, though, as we still have yet to hear the full Media Hub story for getting ahold of video content.

Based on our short time we think the Tab should be on your short list, but while Samsung has made a great device here, the devil will be in those carrier/pricing/app details.

Epic 4G seems like it will be another monster. Not as polished as iPhone 4 but more open and adaptable. Galaxy Tab is harder to predict given the “pad” market didn’t really exist before March. Are there enough people who want a “pad” just not an iPad to create a competitive market like we have for smartphones?

Epic 4G and Galaxy Tab – Sammy’s double competitive whammy is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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After a few hiccups, Ping, Apple’s new social music network, is up and running on iOS 4 devices. Yesterday we took a quick look at how Ping worked in iTunes 10 and while computers have some advantages, I think I’m preferring it on iPhone right now.

Putting it in the iOS iTunes app is strange of course, until you realize Ping exists primarily to encourage people to buy more iTunes music, so having all those shopping carts handy is in Apple’s best interests. I’m not convinced it’s in mine, especially since load times in iTunes have never been as snappy as they feel in the dedicated Twitter or Facebook apps. And since the outer chrome has to include ways of moving to different iTunes store content, they can’t be used to make navigating Ping any easier (not that there’s much to navigate yet).

Lastly, while it still doesn’t look like anyone but recording artists can share real status or post pics or video, we dull normals can share music, like activities, and comment on likes.

Gallery after the break.

iOS 4 Ping social music network gallery is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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The official Twitter for iPad — technically a universal binary now for both iPhone and iPad — has just hit the iTunes App Store. Formerly known as Tweetie, the app was under development by Atebits and Loren Brichter before getting bought up by Twitter, and after a brief transitional delay, it’s finally here.

How is it? Different. Stacked. Brichter certainly didn’t simply scale up the Twitter for iPhone UI. This is all new in both look and approach. I’m going to try it out for a while before forming any opinions (hit me up @reneritchie if you want to try it with me) but take a look at the screenshots below for an idea.

If you’re trying it already, let me know your thoughts.

[Engadget]

Official Twitter for iPad hits App Store is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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What didn’t we get from Apple during their 2010 special music event? The iPod touch line got an extremely decent refresh, as well as the Nano.   iPhone is getting iOS 4.1 next week with some newly added features and some much needed bug fixes. The iPad will be getting iOS 4.2 – in November, but I’m sure some of us would have liked to see it sooner. And we got an overhauled iTunes. I personally wasn’t expecting a whole new iTunes, so that was the surprise of the day for me. AppleTV was pretty underwhelming in my book (as well as Rene’s).  Click through to see what us here at TiPb would have liked to see and let us know in the comments what you would have liked that just didn’t make the cut this time.

iPhone

iPhone will be getting iOS 4.1 next week. Along with general bug fixes (proximity issues anyone?), you’ll get Game Center and some welcome additions to the camera. I know I wasn’t the only staff member excited by the edition of HDR to the camera, but I would have liked to see maybe some contrast and saturation settings added. I’ve especially noticed it on the iPhone 4, but sometimes pictures in low light settings come out a little too warm (yellow-ish) in my opinion. It would be nice to be able to tweak some settings. Game Center is a welcome addition, but I’m not crazy about the whole carnival-esque layout. I much preferred the original layout from the original 4.0 betas.  I wasn’t expecting too much in the way of iPhone.  There were rumors flying around of a new iPhone, but I think we all know better than that around these parts.  Apple is predictable.  As long as their current business model works, I don’t see them changing that pattern.

iPad

The iPad will have to wait for November for iOS 4.2 – next week would have been nice. Why the hold up? El Jobso really didn’t have a lot to say about the iPad at the event. He seemed a bit rushed. Deep down, I was really hoping to hear about a potential iPad refresh, but I figured that wouldn’t happen until January or so. Did you guys expect anything iPad wise that you didn’t get?

iPods

As far as iPods go, I really have nothing to complain about. I think the shuffle combines the best of both previous generations now. The Nano now has a touchscreen! It contains everything the previous generations had, but aligns better with its sibling product lines. Chad noticed the absence of video on the Nano. I don’t really know if that would both me personally, as I wouldn’t want to watch movies or video on that tiny little screen. To me, this is simply Apple positioning themselves in the market. If you want an iPod with video, you’ll have to step up to the iPod touch now. Makes good business sense to me. Only peeve I have with the new iPod line at the current moment is the back material on the Touch. For the love of everything Jobs, PLEASE pick a better finish that doesn’t scratch when you set it on a pillow? That chrome is just screaming “Scratch me!” How about a frosted material next time guys?

iTunes

iTunes 10! This was the one thing I was somewhat excited about today. I don’t get too excited about iPods since I have an iPhone, so I really have no need for one. Ping sounds like a good concept, but we’ll see if it will catch on. I also like the idea of top 10 lists created by your friends, but you’ll also have to be selective about what friends you have on there. I have friends who listen to death metal, and I don’t want that in my top 10 suggestions lists. To me, that doesn’t sound very intuitive. Some people would have liked to see cloud-based syncing or some version of iTunes in the cloud. We previously speculated that this was why Apple acquired LaLa. Maybe not?  I would have liked to see some more intuitive ways to organize content.  I love coverflow and sometimes even if you group albums the same, you see duplicates in different views.  More than anything, I wanted to see more fine tuned controls.  If anyone sees anything new in iTunes 10 as far as organization I haven’t found yet, let us know in the comments.

Apple TV

I pretty much have the same feeling’s Rene does on this one, so we’ll let him take it from there. But if you’d like to rant or tell us your thoughts, let us know in the comments. Needless to say, I’ll probably be getting one. That may sound odd, but I didn’t have the first generation, or any generation AppleTV. At $99, I can stream all my movies from my iMac to the TV and stop fiddling with burning DVDs or hooking up an output device. And iTunes rentals are cheaper than rentals from Comcast. I’ve been waiting to pull the trigger on a new media device for our living room as we’ve been putting it off forever. I’d still have liked to see a LOT more features than what we got. Anyone else picking one up?

I also would have liked to see an update to MobileMe or something along the lines of adding new features.  Streaming would have been nice or the ability to store books or music wirelessly to your MobileMe iDisk.  Other than that, I didn’t expect that many “One more things”.

That about wraps it up, let us know all your thoughts in the comments!

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