Apple has filed a new patent application, an Apparatus and Method to Facilitate Universal Remote Control. In the application, Apple claims that current remotes are cluttered, so they propose using a touchscreen that can automatically detect every AV device near you. Really?
According to the patent, the remote will have a discovery mechanism that will automatically detect every AV device near you and set them up properly. If the device is no longer available, it will disappear from the remote. That seems like a lot of magic to me, indeed. Especially if they get it to automatically detect and set up my Sony Beta VCR. Call me skeptical.
The patent may indicate that the fabled magical Apple TV set — which everyone has been talking about since 1634 — may be near its debut day. Or it may be one of those patents that are filed just because they can. [Apple Insider]