Apple on Wednesday launched an Internet TV system, a live streaming set-top box along with a new operating system called Apple tvOS and a Siri Remote.
The new TV box is a significant upgrade from older versions the company has sold since 2007. The new device has a more powerful processor and updated software for running Internet apps and games on TVs, along with streaming music and video. It will start at $149 and will be available in late October.
“The future of TV is apps as we are consuming most of our content through apps on a mobile device. The future of TV will be defined by poweful hardware, modern operating system, new user interface, great developer tools and an app store,” chief executive Tim Cook said on Wednesday at two-hour event in San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.
An integral part of Apple’s system is a hand-held remote that can be controlled with a touch screen and voice commands, allowing users to request information and search for music, movies or TV shows by using Apple’s electronic personal assistant, Siri.
Analysts see the launch of the TV as an an important step for the company as CEO Tim Cook attempts to build a business that doesn’t rely so heavily on the iPhone.
“Apple is laying the groundwork for a broader living-room strategy” said analyst Ben Bajarin from the research firm Creative Strategies. Apple wants to make the already-important TV screen into an essential hub for communication and entertainment, he said.
“TV plays a huge role in our lives and it occupies an important place in our homes,” Cook said during his presentation. He added that Apple believes “the future of television is apps” that deliver streaming video, games and other services.
Apple Inc. isn’t alone in its ambitions for the living room. It’s entering a market where rivals such as Roku, Amazon and Nvidia already sell sophisticated, voice-activated TV systems at prices ranging from $100 to $250. Google makes a popular streaming video device, the Chromecast, that sells for $35.
Cook and other executives made no mention Wednesday of a long-rumored streaming video service to compete with Netflix and Hulu, which analysts say might help Apple’s TV system stand out from rivals. Nor did they mention any plans to make the Apple TV a hub for controlling thermostats, lamps or other “smart” home appliances — although O’Donnell said he expects that may come later.
Still, even competitors say Apple’s clout could change the landscape of the living room.
With inputs from AP and IANS
