Last week Apple dropped the price on the current 1080p Apple TV to $69 and announced an exclusive deal with HBO Now.

These moves make the Apple TV both more interesting and more affordable — and I have no doubt that the imminent return of Game of Thrones will help sell a lot of the little black boxes. But in the battle for the living room, with competition ranging from the ultra-cheap Chromecast to pricer if more potent consoles like Playstation 4, where does the future of Apple TV fit?

The next Apple TV

The battle for input 1 — the first HDMI port on your TV — is tough. You have lots to choose from: cable and satellite boxes, game consoles, streaming boxes, and more.

Apple entered the living room in 2007, the same year it launched the original iPhone. Based on a lobotomized version of OS X Tiger, the first Apple TV was a big, expensive silver box that ran on Intel, had a hard drive, and focused on syncing with iTunes on the desktop.

It was replaced in September 2010 by the second-generation Apple TV, a small black box that ran iOS on an A4 chipset, supported 720p video, and streamed from the cloud. In March of 2012, Apple bumped that little black box to Apple TV 3, the box we know and use today: It runs on the A5 chipset, supports up to 1080p video, and has been continually adding streaming services since its debut.

Some three years later, we’ve gone from iPhone 4s to iPhone 6, third-generation iPad to iPad Air 2, and we even almost have our hands on an Apple Watch — but that 2012 Apple TV 3 is still the latest and greatest set-top box model from Apple. And it’s showing its age.

If we compile all the rumors and dreams that have been circulating since the last Apple TV update, expectations for an Apple TV 4 certainly run high: Apple has a laptop-class processor now with Cyclone, and console-quality graphics potential with the Metal framework. That combination could stream video and play games like nobody’s business.

But it’s also expensive. The iPad mini 2, which has last year’s Cyclone processor in the Apple A7 chipset, currently starts at $299. (Coincidentally, the same price as the original Apple TV). Go to 32GB of storage, and it’s $349. (Coincidentally, the starting price of the Apple Watch).

To justify that cost, Apple would have to provide equal or greater value. Again, based on long-running rumors, that could include forward-looking support for UHD or 4K video, content deals, and/or the introduction of an Apple TV SDK that does for set-top boxes what the iPad did for tablets — turns them into a gateway to the App (Game) Store.

How we’d control it remains an open question: New, innovative remote? iPhone or iPad remote? Apple Watch remote? There are a bunch of hypothetical options to consider. (And, while we’re talking fantasy, I still love Guy English’s idea of MFi Nintendo controllers tied exclusively to Mario, Zelda, and Metroid for iOS…)

There’s a lot that could make a new, high-end Apple TV a no-brainer — especially if it served as a Siri-powered HomeKit hub, AirPort router, or did any other number of additional, rumored things.

A hypothetical $299 Apple TV could position the “old” $69 Apple TV 3 as the entry-level option: Much like the “old” iPhone 5s or iPad Air hanging around at lower price tiers, it offers basic functionality for those who don’t want or need the latest or the greatest (or the most expensive). That could be very compelling, as stand-alone boxes go. But what about streaming sticks?

Apple TV Direct

While I’ve not found any rumors about this, I’m sure many people looked at the Google Chromecast and wondered what a version made by Apple could do. Not a small, independent box that could browse and play content all on its own — but a tiny HDMI device that could stream content from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Apple has already shown decoupled interface and remote-view projection with both CarPlay and Apple Watch. They’ve certainly been using AirPlay to Apple TV for years.

I could easily see the future Apple TV as an interface built into iPhone and iPad as part of a future version of iOS, where the processing occurs on-device, but the interface and content projects onto your television through an HDMI dongle. It would be great for travelers who want to be able to watch what’s on their phone or tablet on the TV but don’t want to carry anything as big as an Apple TV through airports or on long car drives. Likewise, there are folks who simply don’t want another box on or under their TV that might instead prefer an HDMI dongle.

And, like CarPlay, it would make hardware updates less of a concern — every time iOS is updated, Apple TV Direct would update as well. It could also be inexpensive — inexpensive like iPod shuffle cheap. Inexpensive like under $50 cheap.

Just the beginning…

Apple TV Direct, like netbooks and budget phones, may simply be too low-end for Apple to consider. But even without it, that still leaves the current — and currently $69 — Apple TV as a more affordable point of entry than ever before, and room on top of it for that high-end Apple TV 4 of our dreams.

Apple said at the Spring forward event that these Apple TV announcements were just the beginning. So all we know for certain is that there will be more.

Either way, given the HBO Now announcement, the rumors of more channels to come, and the potential of the platform, I find myself really enthusiastic about the future of Apple TV.

China is set to receive a more powerful version of Microsoft’s Lumia 640 XL, according to regulation body Teena. The handset has a large 5.7-inch display and will be updated to Windows 10 (for phones) when available. Simply put, it’s quite the mid-range smartphone, but we’re looking at some considerable improvements for the Chinese version.

It’s been a long time since the Windows Phone version of The Sims FreePlay has received an update, but that changed today with a huge content upgrade for the free-to-play people sim game from Electronic Arts. In fact, you could say that this is a “royal” update for the game.

Opera Coast has been updated to version 4.1, which adds video boost, a feature that helps you start watching videos as fast as possible

Video boost automatically reduces the size of video in order to keep buffering to a minimum. If you’re already using Coast’s Opera Turbo feature, you’ll find that video boost has already been enabled.

This update to Opera Coast also brings the following changes and improvements:

• Swipe back while browsing a secure site (HTTPS), like your bank or email site, to go back without refreshing the previous page.
• From the latest news feed, swipe down to return to searching.
• Share pages you find directly to Pocket, Evernote, Pinterest and Kik.
• Enjoy a more stable and bear-free Opera Coast.

You can download Opera Coast 4.1 from the App Store now.

• Free – Download Now

Microsoft has confirmed that sales of its Microsoft Band fitness band will expand to Best Buy, Target and Amazon in the US. It will also become available in the UK for the first time on April 15.

Following the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Infinity Ward bosses Vince Zampella and Jason West were unceremoniously ousted from the company for ‘breaches of contract and insubordination’, (what the BBC would call a fracas). What followed was a mass exodus of what was seen as Infinity Ward’s core talent, the majority of which joined West and Zampella’s new venture, Respawn Entertainment, who went on to launch the successful Titanfall with EA backing.

At least one of those early defectors has now returned to Infinity Ward. Todd Aldermann is now Infinity Ward’s multiplayer project director after spending time with Respawn, League of Legends’ dev Riot Games and his own studio Scary Mostro.

These custom Passport screen protectors utilize the highest grade materials and cutting edge technology to provide a film worthy of protecting your device. Each protector is precision-cut to ensure an exact fit on your display and an advanced silicone adhesive technology allows for simple, water-free installation and removal of air bubbles.

FiftyThree, the developer behind Paper, have announced a new set of tools for the popular iPad drawing app, coming next month.

The tools, called Think Kit, include a marker with a ruler, scissors, and a paint roller. The idea behind Think Kit is to make creating things like charts faster and easier, according to FiftyThree:

Launching this April, Think Kit will dramatically speed up the creation of diagrams, charts, and presentation sketches for those times when you need to quickly show an idea to a client, to your team, or to a classroom full of students.

Think Kit will be available to users at some point in April. FiftyThree has not yet announced if the Think Kit will be available as an in-app purchase, or for free, like the rest of their tools.

Source: FiftyThree

These unique iPhone 6 bumper cases fit perfectly around the edges of your device and feature raised side buttons for quick and easy access. Even with the combination of aluminum and shock absorbent TPU, they’re amazingly thin and lightweight. Available today for only $19.95!

These days, simple passwords aren’t good enough to secure your data. Hackers are too good, and security systems flawed. Longer complicated passwords created by generators like 1Password and Safari’s iCloud Keychain can help, but the best way to lock down your accounts is to add extra authentication options.

What is two-factor authentication?

Two-factor authentication is the most prevalent way to secure your accounts: It asks you to authenticate that you are who you say you are by supplying not only your password, but a unique code supplied from your phone or an external app. It ensures that those accessing your accounts have access to your physical devices as well as your virtual passwords, and makes a simple password crack or social engineering hack a lot more insufficient when it comes to accessing your personal data.

Wait, does this mean I have to sign in with extra codes every single time I log in? Sounds tedious.

Nope: Two-factor authentication is designed for initial logins from new devices — specifically, the situation where someone might get ahold of your password from a multi-million password hack and try to log in from their device, and to prevent social engineering hacks, where intruders attempt to trick you (or your loved ones) into revealing your security questions or other personal information about your accounts. Two-factor authentication largely replaces your security questions: This not only helps you avoid needing to remember your random answers, but it also removes the risk of relying on potentially easy-to-find information.

Two-factor unfortunately can’t prevent someone getting ahold of your accounts by accessing your physical device, but that’s why Touch ID and strong Mac passwords are important.

Why is two-factor authentication so important?

Passwords are weak, broken, and by all accounts, outdated: Having to remember a random assortment of numbers, letters, and possibly (but not always) other characters can be tough on your memory and easy for attackers to compromise, especially when technology like Touch ID exists. Apps like 1Password can help with organizing and memorizing your passwords and even help you create super-long strings, but you’re still reliant on a single password to keep you safe. Two-step/two-factor authentication requires two different keys to log you into your account, significantly amping up the level of difficulty for any would-be hackers to access your personal information.

What accounts can I set up with two-factor authentication?

Over the past few years, lots of web services and banks have hopped aboard the two-factor bandwagon — more than we can properly list. The folks over at Two Factor Auth, however, have kindly put together a master list of services that support two-factor or two-step authentication, along with links to how-to documents, what methods of two-factor authentication they support, and how to contact a service you use to request that they implement two-factor authentication.

How to secure your accounts with two-factor authentication

Here at iMore, we’ve put together a bunch of articles on some of the most popular services that support two-factor authentication — as well as the easiest ways to set it up — to help you keep your accounts safe and away from prying eyes.

• How to set up two-factor authentication for iCloud
• How to set up two-factor authentication for Google
• How to set up two-factor authentication for Dropbox
• How to set up two-factor authentication for Facebook
• How to set up two-factor authentication for Twitter
• How to set up two-factor authentication for Tumblr
• How to make two-factor authentication easy with Authy

What if I lose my phone (or have it stolen)?

One of the big fears with SMS or code-based two-factor authentication is the potential loss of your primary authentication device: If you don’t have your phone, you can’t get SMS messages, et cetera. Thankfully, most services offer recovery keys or special passcodes that can unlock your account in case you don’t have access to your cell phone at the present moment. Make sure to write these down in a safe place; I use 1Password’s secure notes feature for this, and also store a hard copy in my office.

Need more help with two-factor authentication?

Running into trouble setting up two-factor authentication? Have a question about turning two-factor on for your favorite service? The iMore Forums are a great place to get advice and help from other members of our community; you can also ask a question in our new Q&A forum and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.