Apple continues to inch toward its complete iCloud service — expected to formally launch in the fall of 2011 — with the second generation Apple TV's version 4.3 firmware upgrade. This upgrade allows you to purchase and watch TV shows directly from your Apple TV. You can also watch all of the TV shows that you have previously purchased on iTunes.
How We Watched TV Shows on Apple TV Before the Update
- You could only rent TV shows directly from a second generation Apple TV. You could not buy TV shows. -- Some TV shows did not give you the option to rent and were therefore unavailable to play directly to the Apple TV.
- Until now, when you bought a TV show, it was downloaded to the device you used to make the purchase — ITunes on your computer, iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.
- You had to stream TV shows that you bought from the iTunes store from your iTunes library to your second generation Apple TV using AirPlay.
What's New in the Apple TV 4.3 Update
- There is a sub-menu item under "TV shows" on the Apple TV's menu that reads "Purchased," where you can find and play any TV shows that you previously purchased.
- You can purchase, as well as rent, TV shows directly from your Apple TV.
- TV shows that you purchase on your Apple TV are available to download to other devices — your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch — so you can watch your purchased TV shows anywhere. You still cannot stream directly from the iCloud to your iPad, iPhone or iPod.
- TV shows that you purchase from any device including the Apple TV are stored in your iCloud (iTunes in the Cloud).
Note: Movies are not included in this update. While you can rent a movie to watch on your Apple TV, movies that you buy are still downloaded to the device on which you purchased them. Movies that you have bought and downloaded can only be played on Apple TV — by streaming to them using AirPlay, or by choosing the movies from your computer's iTunes library that you have set up with the Apple TV using Home Share.
What This May Mean to the Future of iCloud
It was surprising to see the ability to stream video from the iCloud. Announcements from WWDC 2011 did not indicate that this was how the iCloud would work.
- The iCloud announcements stated that video might be included in the future but that it would not roll out with the initial phases of the iCloud.
- There were no indications that the iCloud would stream content — only that it would store purchased content, making it available for download only. Because it was download only, it appeared that the Apple TV might not be able to use the iCloud
We can only speculate whether this new update will take iCloud more in the direction of a streaming service or if streaming will be limited to only video, and only streaming to the Apple TV. We'll be sure to report on any iCloud news that forms.