Apple finally unveiled the revamped Apple TV, which now features a touchscreen remote, apps, games and deep Siri integration. The fourth-generation device will come with local storage of either 32GB or 64GB and will be powered by the newly announced tvOS.
The Apple TV will feature an App Store for developers to publish apps and games for the device, with Apple releasing a new App Programming Guide for tvOS.
Developer Steve Troughton-Smith, however, spotted in the guide that apps and games for the Apple TV are limited to requiring 200MB of local storage upon initial downloading.
According to Troughton-Smith's tweet that featured an image of the tvOS App Programming Guide, there will be no persistent local storage for Apple TV apps. As such, apps should be able to store data in the iCloud and then retrieve the data when needed.
The guide then reveals the file size limitation of 200MB for Apple TV apps, with larger apps being required to be broken up into downloadable bundles.
While the 200MB cap will prevent several outstanding apps from being directly ported into tvOS for the Apple TV, it should be noted that the maximum limit is only for the initial download. After the user downloads the sub-200MB file, the app can then proceed with downloading the other assets that it needs to run after the user launches it.
The set-up is actually similar to many games found on the Android operating system, where an initial download installs the app in the device and then a data pack is subsequently downloaded to install the remaining portions to complete the app. Additionally, the set-up looks to be related to the App Thinning and On-Demand Resources initiative that Apple has released beginning with the upcoming iOS 9.
Due to Apple TV apps being universal apps, they can also include assets that are meant for other Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. As an Apple TV app would not need the assets for an iPhone app, for example, the App Thinning initiative will make all the assets for certain apps relevant for the version on a specific kind of Apple device.
With the Apple TV meant for use at home with a permanent Internet connection, as opposed to iPhones that may at times experience spotty Internet connections, using the iCloud to store data for apps would save space within the Apple TV's memory.
The new Apple TV will start to ship in almost 80 countries next month at a price of $149 for the 32GB version and $199 for the 64GB version.
