Could an AppleTV refresh be in store at WWDC?

An interesting email from a reader...

Hello Jason,

...today I received an odd email from Apple support that got me thinking. I own an Apple TV and have really enjoyed the experience it brings, specifically given that I've long stop using cable or satellite TV.

Recently I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a full season of Doctor Who (love that show) and proceeded to download all available episodes (6 at the time). That was 3 weeks ago and I hadn't received any new content from Apple, nor is there any new content on iTunes for this show.

Concerned, I emailed Apple support to inquire what was happening, since, according the the Doctor Who website, there had been another 3 episodes made available online from their website.

Apple support replied:

Dear (redacted),

Welcome to iTunes Store Support.

I understand you did not receive the latest episodes of the playlist "Doctor Who, Season 5".I know how eager you are to have this issue resolved. My name is Manoranjan and I will provide you the correct information regarding this issue.

Thank you for your inquiry. I'm sorry, but I can't comment on rumors about decisions, products, programs, or promotions that Apple has not officially announced.

By withholding comment, Apple hopes to protect customers from making decisions based on information that is incomplete, inaccurate, or subject to change before the formal announcement. Apple believes this is the best way to ensure that all customers are treated fairly.

I appreciate your interest and encourage you to stay up to date on Apple news. Apple makes its company news available to the public through numerous channels, such as these:

The Hot News webpage: http://www.apple.com/hotnews The Press Info webpage: http://www.apple.com/pr Email newsletters: http://www.apple.com/enews/subscribe Apple and the Environment: http://www.apple.com/environment The Investor Relations webpage: http://www.apple.com/investor

Thank you for your understanding,

Sincerely, (redacted) iTunes Store Customer Support Please Note: I work Mon-Fri, 11:00 AM-8:00 PM CST

Could it be, that Apple has not been updating iTunes because there is a planned refresh to the Apple TV? I've long been speculating, given some of the new changes to the iPhone OS, (scaling, etc..) that Apple easily dive into a completely new market (think game consoles) by replacing the Apple TV interface with the iPhone OS?? Imagine having hundreds of thousands of apps available through your TV, not to mention, web browsing, as well as the usual movies, music, and photos.

Seems to me, WWDC would be the perfect venue to announce that developers can now scale their iPhone apps to display on a 1080p display. Add to that, the added sales from "input" devices such as iPads, Touches, iPhones... Could this be the breath of life Apple TV has needed to make is relevant again?

Thoughts?

My response was:

I like your theory and want to believe! If anything, perhaps the announcement of Google TV has lit a fire under Apple to do something with its "hobby?"

Photo: Post-Trasmission.com