Apple TV

Periscope is developing an app for the new iteration of Apple TV that will let viewers watch live streams on their televisions. No specific details of its functionality or launch date are yet available.

Apple will introduce a retooled, more ambitious Apple TV on Wednesday marking a new seriousness for the company in the competitive “living room” market. Among its upgrades are a new remote and greater support for apps and games, which could position the device against mainstays like the Xbox and Playstation.

The fourth-generation Apple TV, set to be unveiled at an event on Sept. 9 and released in October, will feature a mix of new and familiar hardware, according to reliable sources. While the new device will sport a much faster processor than the current Apple TV, a color-matched remote control, and a somewhat larger body, it will lack support for 4K video streaming and have the same basic ports as the third-generation model.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings doesn’t appear to be too worried about Apple muscling into his territory, even if investors are.

With the official debut of the next-generation Apple TV less than two weeks away, sources have provided additional details on Apple’s pricing, availability and product lineup plans for its set-top devices. According to sources, the fourth-generation Apple TV will be priced below $200, and is on track to become available in October.

Sources say Apple’s talks to license programming from TV networks such CBS and Fox are progressing slowly, causing the company to postpone a planned announcement at a Sept. 9 event in San Francisco, which would have coincided with the beginning of the new TV season. The main stumbling block is the price of content.

Apple is set to unveil its new Apple TV at its September event. The new device features an A8 chip, a new, dramatically-improved touch pad remote, increased on-board storage and a new operating system that supports Siri voice commands. A new App Store will debut at the same time.

Three years since its last major upgrade, another Apple event has come and gone without a peep about Apple’s streaming-video box. Here’s why we’re still waiting.

Despite no official word from Apple Monday at its developer conference in San Francisco, it seems like the company has inadvertently confirmed that the next Apple TV will have something its predecessor doesn’t: an App Store.

Apple won’t be unveiling its new subscription TV service next week, as it has yet to finalize the licensing deals. The release will be pushed back later this year or even into 2016 as technology and financial issues bog it down.

Apple’s proposed TV service may take awhile to get ready but it looks like it will include CBS when it launches. CBS CEO Les Moonves says his network will “probably” sign a deal with Apple to carry his network. “We’re very excited about it,” he told Kara Swisher at the Code Conference Wednesday morning. Moonves said that he met with Apple media boss Eddy Cue last week to discuss Apple’s plans, as part of an “ongoing conversation.”

If Apple launches a TV service, it won’t be the first company to offer TV subscriptions over the Web. But it wants to offer at least one thing rivals don’t have: Widespread access to live programming from local TV stations.

Apple TV will debut a new set-top box at WWDC this summer featuring Siri and the App Store. The new device is likely to sport a redesign and more storage, but there’s no word yet on pricing.

Can Apple’s TV service entice viewers without NBC network or its sister cable channels, including CNBC and USA? The question could be moot, as Comcast’s NBCUniversal may be forced to hand over its programming regardless.

Despite reports that NBCUniversal is not involved in negotiations for Apple’s upcoming subscription TV replacement service, NBC still hopes to arrive on the Apple TV as soon as the second half of 2015, according to a source with knowledge of NBC’s digital roadmap.

For about $100, you can get a great streaming TV device to do that. Or for about a third of that, you can get a pretty good one. Content selection varies, but all offer such basics as Netflix, Hulu and YouTube. After trying out 10 streaming devices, here are three recommendations and an honorable mention.

Trip Chowdhry, a co-founder and analyst at Global Equities Research, has been interviewing developers ahead of an Apple announcement set for Oct. 16. ”All these developers strongly believe that Apple has opened its Apple TV APIs to some big developers including Facebook, Twitter, CNBC and Disney” Chowdhry says. “These developers feel that Facebook and Twitter APIs may be built into [the] Apple TV Platform API, which if true, could jump-start a completely new TV experience called ‘Social TV.’ ”

In an open letter Thursday to Apple CEO Tim Cook that focused on the need for more share repurchases, activist investor Carl Icahn said there’s “good reason to expect” Apple to introduce an UltraHD television in the company’s fiscal year ending September 2016.  Icahn said Apple would be able to sell 12 million of the 55-inch and 65-inch TV sets that year and another 25 million in the company’s 2017 fiscal year. Each TV set would cost an average of $1,500, Icahn projected.

Those waiting for Apple to start selling its long-discussed, all-in-one box for accessing live and on-demand television are going to have to keep waiting. Cable companies are “dragging their heels” on Apple’s plans to incorporate their content into a set-top box and have signaled their apprehension over Apple’s ambition for TV.

ABC News is the first major television news outlet to launch on Apple TV, with a lineup of free, ad-supported content — including live hourly updates and some local dispatches – with no pay-TV subscription required.

Before resigning as CEO, Apple co-founder told key employees that he didn’t think Apple should get into the TV business because of its poor margins, according to a new book.

Apple Inc. is planning to introduce a new Apple TV set-top box as early as April and is negotiating with Time Warner Cable and other potential partners to add video content, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Apple is aiming to have the device available for sale by the Christmas holidays, though the release date could change.

There’s a battle being waged for that much-maligned piece of furniture we all end up in front of sooner or later. Call it the Idiot Box, the Boob Tube or whatever you want — the majority of media consumption still happens in front of the television, and whether it’s gaming, movie watching, Netflix or just listening to the stereo, tech giants are fighting tooth and nail for a seat on your couch. Here’s what they’re bringing to the party.

Apple has been busy adding channels to its set-top box for the past several months, including HBO GO, WatchESPN, SkyNews and a few Disney-branded channels. PBS is the first Apple TV app to make its way from over-the-air broadcasting, but there’s still no sign of ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.

Tim Cook hinted Monday that Apple is well positioned to take over the TV. Speaking during an earnings call with Wall Street analysts, who asked what new product categories Apple would step into in 2014, Cook advised them to think about what the company already does well: Hardware, software services and its app ecosystem. No one else has a set of skills like these, Cook said, and Apple would use those unique skills to push into new product categories.

Apple is rumored to update its Apple TV set-top box at a media event tomorrow. If it does, broadcasters should hope for an open SDK to let developers create apps for the platform. A TV version of the App Store could give local broadcasters a new channel in the over-the-top ecosystem that lets viewers catch up on news from the day and watch live newscasts.

It’s time to fire up the Apple TV rumor mill once again. Jean-François Mulé, founder of CableLabs in San Francisco, has been hired by Apple as an engineering director. And according to his LinkedIn page, that entails being, “challenged, inspired and part of something big.”

People familiar with the company’s plans say that Apple TV is scheduled for an internal overhaul on Sept. 18, the same day Apple releases its iOS 7 mobile operating software.