Siri is one of the most important new features of the new Apple TV, giving you robust and polished voice control over the set-top box. However, it's right now completely disconnected from the iPhone, where it was first born. That's changing next year. In an interview with BuzzFeed, Apple SVP Eddy Cue revealed that a new Apple TV Remote app is coming next year that bakes Siri functionality right in.

"We’re working on a new Apple TV remote app that will give you the full functionality of the Siri Remote on your iPhone," Cue told BuzzFeed's John Paczkowski. "We’re hoping to ship that in the first half of next year."

The decision to extend Apple TV's core voice control functionality to the iPhone is a great decision. Siri was born on the iPhone, and locking the phone out of the TV interface felt like a serious missed opportunity at launch. When the app is released next year, it should finally give users the ability to call up movies, TV shows, and even music thanks to this week's tvOS update.

Beyond Siri, Cue seems optimistic about the Apple TV's prospects for 2016, saying, "We’re seeing tremendous developer interest," with more than 2,000 new apps already in the App Store. As for the long-rumored subscription TV service, that may still be a good way off.