There is no way that Apple will continue to offer the ATV2 at $99. And I would be very surprised if a new ATV box is more than $100.
/begin rant
How long has it been since apple increase an iPod/iPhone/iPad price? The only way ATV will be more than $100 is if the new ATV is offered in multiple versions and the cheapest version is $100.
With iPod/iPhone/iPad, Apple only differentiates in specs and price for 2 reasons -- storage and wireless technologies. I see no reason for Apple do something different with the ATV. Apple likes consistency across product lines. Since ATV isn't mobile, I don't think it will get a 3G (or 4G) option.
That only leaves storage. For a long time I've been convinced that we will never see storage on the ATV for syncing content again. ATV is a streaming device. If Apple thinks that keeping iTunes running all the time is an issue they want to address, the solution is not going to be syncing to ATV. I predict the solution will be some sort of iTunes server technology -- but I'm not crossing my fingers.
I still agree with that, but I think there are good arguments for the possibility of increased storage. The main argument -- an app store. If the app store comes to ATV, storage will be a hot commodity, which Apple may be able to monetize by offering storage tiers, but storage will only be used by apps.
The problem with that argument is that even with an app store, the demand for storage will be much lower than it would be if you allowed syncing. Apple has a bit of a conundrum. On the one hand, they would like to provide tiers of storage on the ATV because they make so much money on the tiers. On the other hand, syncing with ATV doesn't make that much sense for most people. People want access to their entire movie/TV library and they don't want to worry about syncing. They want access to the same library no matter what TV in their house they are on and, again, they don't want to worry about syncing.
My work provides iPhones so all of my colleges have them. But no one syncs them. And if they sync them, they put music on them and never sync them again. Of my coworkers who got their phones before iOS 5, I'd say less than 10% have upgraded - because they never sync and don't know iOS5 is out there. Syncing in not a part of the phone routine. Even worse with the TV -- no one wants to sync the ATV, so Apple won't make it an option.
So that is a long way of saying -- I think the new ATV will be $100. If there is an app store and if Apple provides multiple storage tiers to store additional apps then there may be an ATV for more than $100.
/end rant
Also -- no way will Apple drop ethernet. Nobody has the new faster routers and nobody but techies worry about wi-fi speed. As a result, wi-fi at speeds fast enough for consistent HD streaming isn't reliable enough to allow Apple to drop ethernet.
Remote app needs an overhaul along with this too...
