The Apple TV remote is getting a major redesign

The Apple TV remote is getting a major redesign when the latest version of the Cupertino company's TV box is introduced this summer, the New York Times reports.

Apple is set to unveil a new version of its Apple TV service in June, at its annual developers conference WWDC.

The new remote is going to have a touch pad similar to those found on its MacBooks, as well as two buttons, according to the New York Times - further streamlining the remote's already simple design.

This is how the Apple TV remote currently looks. It's sleek and minimalist, but its reliance on buttons goes against Apple's trend towards trackpads and touchscreens.

And here is a touch pad on the newest MacBook.

In addition to a touch pad to control the Internet video box, the new remote is also going to be thicker than its current iteration. It will apparently be similar in size to the remote for the Amazon Echo wireless speaker.

For reference, here's a YouTube reviewer holding up the Amazon Echo remote (on the left).

At Apple's internal training course "Apple University," the Google TV remote is reportedly compared to the current Apple TV remote as a case study. It is used "to show how the company's product designers started out with an idea and debated until they had just what was needed for the device to be usable and easy to understand," the New York Times reports.

In contrast, the Google TV remote has a staggering 76 buttons.