Could Apple Introduce "Magic Remote" For iTV, And Would It Work?

By now, most of you already know about the well-publicized rumors surrounding the upcoming upgrade to Apple TV. Many expect it to be announced next Wednesday at Apple's Special Event (which we'll be at!). We've heard that iTV (if that's what it's to be called) will be able to run a version of the iOS, and all the applications the App Store has available, which would be very cool indeed. However, with many of these apps being "touch-centric", some have speculated that the current Apple Remote will have to be upgraded to include touch capabilities, Magic Trackpad-style. It seems Dan Wineman was thinking the same thing, too. Though, unlike most of us, he's taken the idea of a touch remote one step further. More precisely, he's taken the idea to Photoshop. You can check out the product of Dan's work above. It shows his creation: a Magic Trackpad-style remote, for Apple TV (or iTV). Though a rough, homemade design, the result does give us an idea of what such a remote might look like - helping us to speculate as to whether it would be a worthwhile product. Though I haven't had any hands-on time with the Magic Trackpad itself, I do have a MacBook Pro which has a built-in trackpad. And, I can say quite definitively that using the trackpad is nothing like using my iPhone or iPad's screen. As John Gruber states, it's the "direct manipulation" that makes touchscreen devices such as the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch look and feel so great when we use them. This is why a product such as this hypothetical Apple Remote might not work.

The Magic Trackpad was designed to interact with Mac OS X: a desktop operating system. This speculation suggests that a similar device could be used to interact with Apple's iOS - an operating system designed to be touched. We've all been hoping that iTV comes with a version of iOS loaded on it - indeed, it would be great if Apple extended its brilliant operating system to yet another device. It works on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - so why not iTV, too? The lack of a touchscreen means that user interaction with iTV would be markedly different from anything we've yet encountered. I'm not saying that we'll definitely not see a touch-remote like the one imagined by Dan - it would make sense, following the Magic Trackpad's release. The problem is: I just can't imagine changing a channel up or down, or even inputting one, without seeing the numbers ahead of me on the remote. Can you? This leaves the speculated touchscreen Apple Remote as an accessory to an accessory - something not directly required by iTV owners (who'd use the standard Apple Remote anyway because it currently comes with Apple TV), but rather an add-on for those wanting to further interact with the apps of iOS. Personally, given the choice, I'd sooner hook up my iPhone or iPad - and I can imagine many people feeling the same. But, for those iTV owners who don't have an iDevice handy, Apple's "Magic Remote" might be the next best thing. If you have any thoughts regarding this speculation, be sure to post them in the comments box below. And, you can check out Dan Wineman's full concept of the iTV remote here.

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