Apple Daily: Motion Sensing Apple TV; Apple and Pentagon; 16GB iPhones Here to Stay

The next Apple TV is set to be revealed at Apple's next big media event on September 9, if you believe the rumors, and the latest batch claims that it'll feature some spiffy motion-sensing technology that could make it a big hit with casual gamers. Meanwhile, Apple and other companies are joining up with the Pentagon to create "flexible hybrid electronics," and it looks like we're stuck with 16GB baseline iPhones for another year.

Next Apple TV Said to Have Motion-Sensitive Remote

Rumors that the next big Apple TV will support motion-sensing technology have been around since 2010, but they resurfaced again in a report from TechCrunch detailing new aspects about the feature mere weeks ahead of the device's expected reveal. The motion control itself will center on a redesigned remote with the touchpad and Siri support we've all heard so much about it, but the report notes that insider sources claim that it'll have "several axis’ worth of sensors that put its control on par with a Nintendo Wii remote."

The report suggests that Apple likely aims to use the features to attract "the broad casual gaming market" but notes that it also allows the possibility of innovative gameplay. The design would also fare well for multiplayer gaming, as the players involved could use the built-in voice support, and the Apple TV would provide a better home for party games that are a tad too awkward to use on the iPad on the iPhone.

While the motion capabilities of the device are the highlight of the article, the report also cites anonymous sources who note that the combination of the device's "polish, polish, polish," its own App Store, and other factors will "blow away the types of junky smart TV interfaces we’ve had to deal with so far." The changes are so extensive, apparently, that they end Apple TV's long designation as a "hobby" and elevate it into "the first real Apple TV product."

If that's all true, the debut of the new Apple TV would have been even more impressive with the inclusion of Apple's long-rumored streaming TV service, but multiple reports claim that it's being held up by negotiations. The latest report in that regard comes from The Information's Jessica Lessin (via AppleInsider), who said in a letter to subscribers this morning that Apple's rumored $40 monthly fee for the service is the main sticking point. It's apparently simply too low for the content makers to want to bite, and thus it might be a bit higher when (and if) the service ever sees the light of day.

"There's still a big gap between the price media companies want for their TV channels and the roughly $40 a month Apple wants to charge consumers," Lessin wrote in her letter. "Something has to give."

Apple Teaming Up with Pentagon to Make Military Wearable Tech

The Apple Watch, it seems, was only the beginning: The Cupertino company's wearable technology might soon be coming to a soldier near you. According to a new report from Reuters, Apple is one of 162 tech companies teaming up with the Pentagon in order to make high-tech, stretchable and wearable electronics for soldiers in order to keep track of their vitals. In the future, the Pentagon expects warplanes and warships will use the same technology in their hulls order to monitor their structural integrity in real time.

Above: Silicon Valley's Ames Research Center (via Wikipedia)

The San Jose-based group goes by the name of the FlexTech Alliance, and it includes several other powerhouse companies and organizations such as Boeing and Harvard. The project will reportedly receive around $171 million in funding over the next five years to further develop "flexible hybrid electronics," with $90 million of that coming from Apple and its partner companies and $75 million coming from the federal government. The remainder will come from local governments.

"I’ve been pushing the Pentagon to think outside our five-sided box and invest in innovation here in Silicon Valley and in tech communities across the country," U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said at NASA's Ames Research Center as he awarded the project the government's share of the funding.

Interestingly enough, the news comes on the same day that Politico ran an article on how current Apple CEO Tim Cook has embraced Washington politics. Steve Jobs famously shunned it.

'Leaked' Photo Suggests 16GB Baseline Units for iPhone 6s, 6s Plus

Many commentators had hoped that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus would be the last iPhones to start out with 16GB of storage, but in line with earlier rumors, a newly "leaked" photo of an information sheet for the upcoming devices suggests that might not be the case (via Steve Hemmerstoffer). Even in this digital storage hungry world, it appears that the base models for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will feature 16GB of storage.

There's always a chance, of course, that some bored guy faked the photo or that it merely represents an earlier stage of Apple's production process that has since been abandoned. It's possible, yes, but at this stage it seems like wishful thinking.

Apple is widely expected to reveal the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus at the media event on September 9 Apple announced yesterday. While the devices likely won't look terribly different from their current counterparts on the surface, they're expected to sport much better cameras, Force Touch technology, improved cellular connectivity, and stronger aluminum for the exteriors. The devices are also expected to come in a new "rose gold" color and to support animated lock screen wallpapers in the style of the "Motion" watch faces for the Apple Watch.

Follow this article's writer, Leif Johnson, on Twitter.