Apple has re-issued the 6.0 update for Apple TV devices it released last week, after the original version’s many problems including slow downloads, library loss and even some apparent bricking led the company to pull it from servers. The update is back live now, with new features including access to the iTunes Music Store for actually purchasing tracks and albums from your device, and iTunes Radio, Apple’s new free streaming online music service.
Other new features included in the update are AirPlay from iCloud, which allows you to playback videos on your Apple TV that are stored in your iCloud purchase history direct to the device via streaming, without requiring it to reside locally on either (that needs to be turned on in settings). There’s also the addition of iCloud Photos and Videos, which essentially just rebrands Photo Stream, access to Podcasts and Podcast Stations, and a new conference room mode, which displays a custom background with instructions about connecting to the network and Apple TV device for guests or presenters who might want to use the attached A/V equipment.
None of the updates are super surprising, bringing support for features included in iOS 7, but the iCloud streaming playback offers Apple TV and AirPlay users one small feature the service was lacking compared to Google’s Chromecast, and the new conference room mode is actually a big boon for Apple in terms of selling these things through to enterprise and business users as support devices for throughout offices. The update also comes just ahead of what many predict will be a hardware refresh for the device in the next month or two.
The update is available now over-the-air, and should show up in Apple TV device settings screens. Bugs users were reporting earlier should be fixed, but let us know if you find otherwise.