New Apple TV is coming in September with new streaming service
After refreshing almost its entire line of MacBooks, Macs and iOS devices, including the long awaited upgrade of the iPod Touch, Apple is reportedly finally on track to release a new version of Apple TV, which has been on the back burner for a while. A big hint on the refresh of the device was given out at an early keynote in which Apple announced an exclusive deal to stream HBO Now programming on Apple TV. At the time, the company announced also a considerable price cut on Apple TV, which is something that Apple typically does when planning on a product update.
Apple TV was last updated in 2012, and it still runs on an A5 chip. The new version of Apple TV is expected to undergo similar upgrades to the iPod Touch, such as replacing the old A5 chip with an A8 chip, an even thinner design, and bigger on-board storage possibly for DVR operations.
New features
The new and improved Apple TV will likely see integration of Siri, as well as a brand new interface that allows faster and more targeted browsing. A refresh of the Apple TV UI has been in the works for some time, and in its next iteration, we should see also integration with a possible touchscreen-based remote control, which, according to rumors, could integrate Touch-ID, or some form of biometric recognition feature for parental control and login operations.
Streaming service
Rumors surrounding Apple’s own streaming service have been making the rounds for some time, and finally, there is hope that these plans could actually take shape towards the end of the year, possibly soon after the release of Apple TV. Popular content services like Netflix, HBO NOW, Hulu Plus and FX NOW are likely to be part of the package.
With HBO NOW’s exclusive Apple deal ending, and its offerings extended to Android devices as well, Apple’s plans to start its own streaming service seem even more likely, especially as the trend of consumers cutting the cord from cable TV services from Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS doesn’t show any sign of slowing down.