Here Comes The Long Awaited New Apple TV

Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the subscription internet TV service Apple’s been trying to get off the ground since 2009 appears to be finally headed to market. And now sources familiar with the company’s plans tell BuzzFeed News that a successor to its dusty and recently discounted Apple TV set top box is headed to market as well. Apple intends to show the device off at its annual World Wide Developers Conference in June along with a long-awaited App Store and a software development kit to help developers populate it.

Sources say Apple’s new Apple TV is a significant overhaul of the device, one intended to undergird Apple’s vision of what the TV viewing experience should be, and to raise the table stakes in a set-top box market cluttered with barely differentiated devices from Amazon, Roku, and others. If I’m understanding the company’s strategy correctly, the new Apple TV isn’t just a play for a stake of the streaming TV market, but for the mythical digital living room. Think TV, music, apps and a little bit of home automation as well.

As for the new Apple TV box itself, expect an updated design and new innards: the company’s latest A8 system-on-chip — or a variant of it: a dramatic increase in on-board storage to accommodate app — well beyond the 8GB in the current device; and an improved operating system that will support Siri voice control of Apple TV, and enable it remotely for a selection of Homekit-enabled home automation devices, as earlier reports have suggested. Presumably it will also feature a new remote.

No word yet on price, though it will obviously be more than the current Apple TV, which recently had its price trimmed to $69 from $99 to make room for its successor. Note that Apple’s Web site now lists the device as “starting at $69.”

FULL ARTICLE - http://www.buzzfeed.com/johnpaczkows...th-app-store-s

The next Apple TV won't play 4K video

The long-rumored Apple TV update is expected to do many things, including run apps and stream a TV service, but there's one thing it isn't expected to do: play 4K video. A source for BuzzFeed News' John Paczkowski (who's historically accurate with such rumors) claims that Apple's upcoming media hub will stick to 1080p because 4K technology is "still in its infancy." While the A8 chip rumored to be in the device can handle the ultra-high resolution, the market just isn't there yet. Even Amazon and Netflix don't have a lot of 4K content, and there's also the question of finding enough people with both compatible TVs and sufficiently speedy internet access. That's disappointing if you were hoping to get a truly future-proof box, but it's hard to see Apple investing a lot of money into services that you probably won't use for a while.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/05/n...next-apple-tv/

Apple Subscription TV Service Won’t Be Announced Next Week

Apple won’t be announcing its much-anticipated subscription TV service next week at its Worldwide Developer Conference, according to several people with knowledge of the situation.

The Cupertino technology company has told network executives the planned unveiling will be postponed because Apple has yet to finalize the licensing deals. Industry executives predict Apple’s Web TV offering may not launch until later this year, or in 2016. Technology and money issues remain sticking points.

Apple wanted to launch a subscription TV service in early fall to coincide with the start of the new broadcast television season. But the debut got bogged down by negotiations over financial terms and new technology that would be required for broadcasters to deliver local programming to Apple’s Web TV service.

The company wants to provide customers in cities around the U.S. with programming from their local broadcast stations. That would distinguish Apple’s planned offering from those already available from Sony and Dish’s Sling, which to date have only offered local programming in a handful of cities, or none at all.

FULL ARTICLE - http://recode.net/2015/06/01/apple-s...ced-next-week/

Apple Streaming Service Making Progress

Apple has realized that reaching out to individual channel owners may be too much to take on. Instead the company is reaching out to the main network’s themselves and letting them negotiate with their affiliates as the company works to bring about a streaming TV service. This is a very important step for Apple because it makes the long rumored streaming service appear far more possible. Apple has been in the headlines for months concerning a streaming service that would offer local affiliate feeds, a key factor for many on the fence concerning whether to drop cable. By providing local affiliate access it gives users the potential to see not just local news coverage via streaming but local and regional sports teams.

How is Apple making this possible?
As of right now Apple is negotiating directly with CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox. CW, another broadcast network is owned by CBS. By working with networks instead of reaching out to hundreds of affiliates individually Apple farms out the responsibility of negotiating for streaming rights to entities with existing relationships and connections. According to the New York Post the plan is working out. While Apple has been quiet on the streaming hardware side of things it has worked feverishly to build relationships going forward. It’s negotiation with HBO to be the exclusive launch partner for HBO Now worked out great for both parties with HBO seeing its app become a top seller in the iTunes store. Apple TV got a major boost spurred by both a price drop and the HBO offer the device rose to the number 3 selling streaming device on Amazon despite its age.

What do affiliates get out of the deal?
The plan which includes revenue sharing between Apple and the affiliates is gaining traction. If Apple is able to put this together it stands to be a major addition to the streaming space and may effectively end Sony’s experiment in this space and stop the recently announced “Comcast Stream” right in its tracks. Apple has never released details as to exactly wich cable channels would be involved with the service but considering the willingness that cable channels have shown to work with Sling and Sony Vue I don’t think Apple will have a great deal of trouble working out deals with a host of other partners.