Hello readers,

When I thought about what to write about in my intro this week, I was stumped at first. I had yet to come across anything in the past two weeks that was useful enough to share with you. Usually, there’s an obvious topic, such as a network issue, daily hardware troubleshooting, or something like an Outlook problem that a customer has. Though we saw issues here and there, there wasn’t enough that I thought could benefit others who are far beyond your average consumers!

Luckily for me, I came across some juicy rumors. The newest (and most interesting) rumor I came across involved one of my favorite Apple products, the Apple TV. Allegedly,* Apple is testing out designs for a new model, possibly due sometime in the first half of this year. A persistent part of the rumor was that it would be combined with the AirPort Express. Not only would this make Apple TV a dedicated router, but it would also make any online streaming and AirPlay a lot faster since it would work within the unit (much like being plugged into ethernet). The new model may also include a TV tuner that would allow you to control your cable with an Apple user interface.

These rumors, combined with the strong possibility that the next Apple TV will have built-in App Store access, make the Apple TV even more valuable. I’d love to be able to play games using my iOS device(s) as a controller — I will be sure to have my wallet open if it’s available!

Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Barry
barry@smalldog.com

*Rumors!