Apple iTV prototype has Siri and video calling

The hotly-tipped Apple TV is real, and comes with Siri built-in. That’s according to an inside source who has seen Siri make a video call on an actual prototype.

Cult of Mac reports that the iTV prototype looks like one of the aluminum LED Cinema Display monitors currently sold by Apple, only bigger — previous rumours suggest the Apple telly will come in 32-inch and 37-inch sizes

Other features include an iSight webcam so you can make FaceTime video calls. It comes complete with a face-tracking function that allows you to make calls from your couch. If you prefer to pace up and down while you talk, you’ll be glad to know the camera can also follow you as you wander around your living room.

The name of the fruity gogglebox has yet to be nailed down. Sticking a little ‘i’ on the start will match up with the iPhone, iPad, iMac and the rest — but British TV channel ITV has already warned Apple off the iTV name.

The fruity telly could absorb another current product and adopt the Apple TV name — after all, Apple thinks of the tiny media-streaming box as a hobby.

There’s everything to play for in the world of televisions. Pretty much all new models are Internet-connected smart TVs, but we’d argue none of them have really succeeded to steal the hearts of consumers just yet.

There are a bunch of online TV-watching gadgets available now — check out our head-to-head comparison of Apple TV, the Xbox 360 and PS3 — but with next-generation boxes like YouView and Google TV taking their time to turn up, the world of television is still wide open.

Would you buy an iTV? Would you ask Siri to change the channel? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook wall.

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