NewsUC&C20 Sept 2023 · 4 min read

Apple TV Transforms Into Meeting Room Device

Apple TV 4K adds FaceTime via tvOS 17, with Cisco Webex and Zoom coming later. Published on UC Today, it broadens room video calling.

Kieran Devlin

Apple TV 4K users can now video conference through their device for the first time via FaceTime.

The tech giant rolled out an update to the operating system that powers Apple TV, tvOS 17. Later in 2023, Apple TVs will also be updated with other video conferencing apps, including Cisco Webex and Zoom, opening up a diverse array of platforms for users to engage in high-quality video calls.

The update was initially announced at June's Worldwide Developer Conference, where Apple's Vision Pro AR headset was revealed. The feature leverages an iPhone or iPad's Continuity Camera mode, effectively turning them into wireless webcams.

Bob Borchers, Apple's Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing, commented:

tvOS 17 transforms the biggest screen in the home with FaceTime and new video conferencing capabilities, giving Apple TV 4K users the ability to easily connect with anyone right from their living room. New features and enhancements make Apple TV simpler to use and even more enjoyable, reinforcing it as the absolute best option in the living room for Apple customers."

Furthermore, the FaceTime app for Apple TV utilises the power of Centre Stage, Apple's AI-powered technology, which is adopted when using the front cameras on iPhones and iPads. Centre Stage dynamically frames users as they interact with the Apple TV, creating an immersive and captivating video conferencing experience.

By leveraging Continuity Camera, Users can launch the FaceTime app on their Apple TV device via the Continuity Camera on their iPhone or iPad. With just a few taps on their handheld device, they can seamlessly transfer ongoing calls from their iPhones or iPads to Apple TV.

The FaceTime app intelligently centres speakers and dynamically tweaks the frame when more participants join the call, ensuring participants are precisely framed to perfect the video-calling experience.

Developers also have access to the Continuity Camera API for Apple TV to develop their own video conferencing apps for tvOS by leveraging iPhone and iPad camera functionalities.

Apple is Making Waves in the Enterprise UC and Collaboration Space

2023 will likely go down as the year Apple, predominantly a B2C tech business for decades, started making serious inroads into enterprise-targeting technology.

The Apple Vision Pro "spatial computing" device opens up opportunities for enterprise collaboration.

Apple's announcement emphasised that the Vision Pro "frees apps from the boundaries of a display so they can appear side by side at any scale", allowing users to "be even more productive, with infinite screen real estate, access to their favourite apps, and all-new ways to multitask".

The Vision Pro is supported by Apple's Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. Users can build a wireless workspace by integrating the Vision Pro with their Mac and can produce a large 4K work display within their Pro headset. The Vision Pro's FaceTime integration leverages spatial computing and spatial audio so that every participant on a call is captured in life-size tiles and talking as if from where they are positioned.

In April, Apple filed a next-gen camera system patent for FaceTime with advanced enterprise collaboration possibilities, such as the ability to parse in-air gestures and process physical drawings into digital media.

The tech giant published a patent application form earlier this month that included a new conferencing interface to improve the user experience of those employing FaceTime for business or education purposes. The solution intends to enable easier sharing of content during video meetings.

Apple will also release new video conferencing features in an upcoming macOS to improve meetings across all platforms.

macOS Sonoma will include Presenter Overlay, allowing users to place themselves on top of content, including slideshows. Users can appear as a small bubble or in a larger frame. The feature functions by removing the participant from their background and positioning the content behind them.

Users will also have Reactions, including the capability of introducing virtual balloons or confetti to their windows in a call. The reactions are triggered by hand movements, including two thumbs up, which create a firework display behind the user. These can be used in FaceTime and other video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom, Teams and Webex.

Apple Also Joining the Generative AI Party

Apple employees are using the vendor's in-house generative AI, nicknamed Apple GPT, to enhance their productivity.

Bloomberg reported in July that Apple has been creating a framework to build its own large language models (LLMs), named Ajax. Ajax enables Apple to potentially develop a generative AI product to rival OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Bard or Microsoft's Copilot.

However, before Ajax results in commercial product development, Apple reportedly built its internal ChatGPT-like solution to streamline employees’ workflows. The product aids Apple workers to “prototype future features, summarise text and answer questions based on data it has been trained with,” wrote Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.

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