According to foreign media, Apple’s 2021 Siri Remote, which was launched with the second-generation Apple TV, was originally designed differently. In several images shown in the certification documents, the remote has a shallow concave oval finger rest area at the rear, possibly to improve grip.
The finger rest was supposed to be above the Apple logo on the Siri Remote, but Apple removed this design element before launching the accessory. The launch version has a smooth back and no finger rest cutout at all.
There are some other minor design differences, including a different design for the infrared sensor on top of the remote and some subtle changes to the button icons. It’s unclear why Apple decided to remove the finger rest area on the back of the remote, but removing it was certainly a last-minute design decision.
The updated Siri Remote is a significant improvement on the first generation Siri Remote, featuring a larger aluminum body and a gesture-enabled touch trackpad instead of a smooth touch surface. There is a dedicated power button, which is a welcome change, as well as a ‘Siri’ button on the side of the device.
