Reports surfaced on Friday morning suggest that technology giant Apple will unveil a new version of its Apple TV set-top box later this year, during its 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference. The American corporation might also launch its own subscription-based internet TV service alongside it.
BuzzFeed reports that sources from within the company say that the TV box will debut at the WWDC which to be held in June in San Francisco, and will represent a significant upgrade over the current Apple TV 3 version, which has already celebrated three years from its initial launch this month. The box will also incorporate Apple’s famous Siri personal assistant, which would offer the possibility of controlling it through voice commands.
The same sources also claim that one of the biggest features will be the availability of an app store which can be browsed from the box. This also means that it will feature increased storage space to cope with the large number of app, as the current version only has 8 GB on board. Also, the box’s processor will be a variant of the current Apple A8, with this itself also being a major upgrade from the A5 on which the TV 3 runs.
This might be confirmed by the fact that Apple has recently lowered the price of their current TV boxes from $99 to $69, which might be intended to set the stage for a new version. Apple TV users will also have the option to subscribe to HBO’s new streaming service HBO Now starting with April, for an additional $14.99. Apple has not responded yet to any of this speculation, with BuzzFeed reporting that it declined to comment when approached.
The Apple TV set-top box initially launched its first edition in 2007, with new versions following in 2010 and 2012. Apple TV became the American giant’s fastest-growing hardware, after grossing $1 billion in 2013. It still remains a marginal business compare to smartphones and tablets, but a new set-top box may suggest that Apple is considering internet TV as a future top selling medium. For years, reports and even hints by Apple have suggested that they might be looking towards setting up their own streaming service, and its complementary launch next to the new TV box seems like a possibility.
Image Source: Apple Store
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