Comment (9)The endless Apple rumor mill has produced another tempting tidbit on Apple TV. Or in this case, maybe not so tempting.
9to5Mac is reporting that the fourth-generation Apple TV, which is scheduled to launch at a September 9 Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) event, will ring in with a starting price tag of either $149 or $199. That's more than twice the amount of the current Apple TV, which fell to $69 earlier this year. For the added cost, users will reportedly get an app store on the TV (with SDK for developers), a new user interface, Siri support for voice interaction and a new remote control. What buyers won't get, however, is a new cable-killing Apple TV service. At least not yet.
Word leaked earlier this month that a rumored $40-per-month Apple TV service has been delayed again until next year. Reports claimed that Apple has had trouble negotiating content deals, a challenge that has thwarted the company and many others for years. (See Rumored Apple TV Service Hits Another Snag.)
Meanwhile, there may be new options now that the Downloadable Security Technology Advisory Committee (DSTAC) has submitted its recommendations to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) . If the DSTAC's recommendations are accepted, perhaps Apple will soon be able to offer access to pay-TV apps from the major service providers on the Apple TV, or access to pay-TV content with Apple's own interface overlaid on top. (See DSTAC: 2 Opposing Views on the Future of TV.)
It could happen. Just don't hold your breath.
— Mari Silbey, Senior Editor, Cable/Video, Light Reading
