Apple reportedly dropped its plans to release a smart television a while ago, which means that the Apple TV is currently the company’s only gateway into the living room. As Apple’s smart home ambitions continue to take shape, it’ll be up to the Apple TV to serve as the control center for all HomeKit devices, and if one of the company’s recent patents is anything to go by, Apple is working on a sensor-packed remote to bring new levels of control to the Apple TV.
In May 2014 we posted a report titled “Apple may Surprise the Market with a New Smart Home Platform,” and in June 2014 we posted a follow-up report titled “Could Apple TV be one of Apple’s hottest iDevices of the Year?” The second report was about using Apple TV as an in-home automation hub. Samsung had been working on this idea at the same time. Today, more proof of Apple using Apple TV as an in-home automation hub came to light. The emphasis of Apple’s latest invention is about a new Apple TV remote with integrated Touch ID. It will allow users to quickly enter a channel like Netflix without having to key in a password and allow only authorized family members to make purchases on iTunes. But more importantly, Apple describes the remote being able to be used to interact with home automation features and appliances.
