That’s more than double the $69 customers had to shell out for the last iteration.
Apple has launched a new Apple TV alongside the iPhone 6s, as had been widely rumoured. Apple has already detailed the features available in watchOS 2.0, but the highlights include native apps.
Apple TV could become a significant source of profit for the company, analysts say, but revenue from programming and services will be key.
The ability to speak to your television is hardly unique to Apple TV. It even comes standard on Comcast’s (CCV) Xfinity cable boxes and remotes.
Earlier this month, Apple new Twitter account dedicated to gaming was launched.
However, to date Apple TV has been a limited success, selling in the tens of millions rather than the hundreds of millions. Apple’s own claim that 50% of paid TV streaming “happens through an Apple device” is telling in that they don’t mention how they define either term.
Siri can search across the Apple TV apps – including iTunes, Hulu, Netflix, Showtime and HBO – to find a movie or television show that the viewer is looking for.
That’s a fantastic feature – but also not unique. “With Siri, you can search across multiple content apps and see all the results on a single screen”, said Cue. What’s more, NY Times is reporting that the company will be making gaming a major focus with the new system. IR capabilities on the set-top box will presumably still allow use with third-party remotes as well.
Falling in line with numerous leaks we have come across in the run up to the event, Apple today finally unveiled its next-generation Apple TV.
This is where Apple could do some real damage.
The one potential drawback is that existing Apple hardware (read: iPhone 6, iPad Air 2) doesn’t support 3D Touch, which relies on a wholly redesigned touch panel under the display. The industry-leading Roku, for example, starts at $50 and goes up to $100. For instance, the new Apple TV could serve as a hub for Siri to control lamps, thermostats and other “smart” appliances, using Apple’s HomeKit technology. The difference is that Apple has a large and engaged developer community, and that it’s been creating APIs to help them make games for quite some time-SpriteKit, GameplayKit, ReplayKit, and Model I/O are all tools that help developers put together games and support popular features like screen recording. iOS 7 added a Bluetooth gamepad API that is presumably being used here.
If you’re easily distracted or need some updated information, you can ask Apple TV for sports scores or weather to pop up without interrupting your video playback.
Before introducing the new Apple TV, Apple said that the future of TV is going to be about applications, and those are going to be a central part of the Apple TV.