Apple TV retail availability shifts to March 7
updated 11:35 am EST, Fri March 2, 2012
Apple TV update clue comes through retail pickup
Searches and rumors Friday gave further credence to beliefs that a new Apple TV was due side-by-side with a new iPad. Checks by The Verge noted that some Apple stores now listed online availability with an unusually specific March 7 date. Some listed it as in stock, while others had a "check availability" that made the next round of supply unclear.
Separately, the same site understood from its own contacts that Apple's own stores were running low.
The timing has fueled expectations that Apple would unveil a new Apple TV media hub alongside a new iPad at its event next week, possibly with same-day shipping for the Apple TV. Apple's own invitation makes clear separations between there being things to "see" and "touch" and may be a clue as to a two-pronged event. Most anticipate the next Apple TV supporting 1080p, which might be necessary not just to catch up to Boxee, Roku, and other immediate competitors but to better display the higher resolutions the new iPad is likely to support, both on its screen through AirPlay mirroring and in video.
