Apple puts live TV plans on hold: Claims TV network negotiations have stalled service
- New TV box expected to be smaller and slimmer than current version
- Could have new touchscreen remote control and Siri
- Apple won't launch rumoured 25 channel TV service alongside it
- For more of the latest Apple news updates visit www.dailymail.co.uk/apple
Apple has suspended plans to offer a live TV streaming service, it has been claimed.
The firm is believed to have been negotiating to sell packages of channels to consumers for $30-$40 per month.
However, CBS Corp. Chief Executive Officer Les Moonves said at the Business Insider Ignition conference that Apple had put its live TV plans 'on hold.'
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The firm is believed to have been negotiating to sell packages of channels to consumers for $30-$40 per month.
Instead, the firm will not focus on'being a platform for media companies to sell directly to customers through its App Store', according to a person with knowledge of the matter quoted by Bloomberg.
'This will happen,' Moonves said.
'It has four major networks and 10 cable networks, let's say, and the price point will be in the $30s, $30 to $35, $40 maybe.
'People will not be spending money on channels they don't want to watch.'
'Apps are the future of TV,' Apple CEO Tim Cook said earlier this year when he introduced a new version of the Apple TV able to run them.
Over 2,000 apps are now available, Apple has said.
Tim Cook described it as 'the future of television' and said: 'We've been working really hard, and really long on bringing it all together.'
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It has a new remote with a glass-touch surface that lets viewers control menus with their fingers.
It additionally features a 'Siri' button that lets viewers search using just their voice.
All of the screens have been redesigned to 'focus on the content' and Siri will search across every app - including Netflix, iTunes, HBO, Showtime and Hulu - to find content.
Other Siri features include the ability to find exact clips within episodes and the option to skip back and show dialogue that was missed.
APPLE'S NEW REMOTE: THE KEY TO THE APPLE TV
The new remote is the key to making apps usable.
It's got a glass touchpad built in, and is incredibly intuitive and responsive.
During playback, you can easily move around a film for instance, and moving your finger quicker lets you scroll quickly through films and TV shows.
It feels incredibly intuitive, and to make a selection, you simply click on the touchpad area - which also produces a very satisfying sound.
It uses bluetooth, so can even be hidden inside a cabinet.
The Siri Remote can also control the volume on your TV or A/V receiver — as well as turn it on or off.
It most cases, you don't even need to set this up - but we has to manually programme it for use with a Sonos Playbar speaker - which was simple to do.
It feels incredibly light, but packs a lot of technology inside.
Internally, there are accelerometer and a gyroscope which means the remote knows where it is - so it can act like Nintendo's Wii controller.
There are several games that use this to graeat effect, and we expect more to use it in the future.
The remote also has a microphone button which enables you to just ask for what you want - be it the weather, a particular film, or even 'that episode of Friends with Brad Pitt in'.
While watching a film or TV show, swiping down on the touch surface will present a menu of information about actors, for example.
Viewers can also ask Siri questions about a show, or ask for scores or about the weather, and the answers appear on the screen.
Turning the remote on its side transforms it into a games controller, and iOS games have been adapted to work on the larger screen.
TV OS even offers multiplayer functions on compatible apps, such as Crossy Road.
It was thought the firm was originally planning to reveal the new Apple TV at its annual developers conference earlier this year.
However, the New York Times said the plans were put on ice due to problematic negotiations with TV firms.
HBO has one of the best looking apps on the service, taking advantage of the high definition graphics - but doesn't offer live streaming
According to the New York Times, 'The company planned as recently as mid-May to use the event to spotlight new Apple TV hardware.
'But those plans were postponed partly because the product was not ready for prime time, according to two people briefed on the product.'
The Cupertino technology company has told network executives the planned unveiling will be postponed because Apple has yet to finalize the licensing deals, according to tech blog re/code at the time.
| New Apple TV | Old Apple TV | Amazon Fire TV | Amazon Fire TV Stick | Nexus Player | Chromecast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $149-$199 | £59 ($69) | £79 ($99) | £35 ($39) | £79 ($99) | £30 ($35) |
| Processor | Apple A8 chip | Apple A5 Chip | Qualcomm quad-core | ARM A9 dual-core | Intel Atom quad-core | Marvell |
| Storage | 32GB & 64GB | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB | 2GB |
| Weight | TBC | 272g | 281g | 25.1g | 235g | 34g |
| Operating System | TV OS | iOS | Android | Android | Android | Android |
| Remote | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
The firm has been hinting at its plans for a TV for several years.
Apple has described TV as an 'area of intense interest, and Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue said last year at the Code Conference, 'the TV experience sucks.'
In his biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson quoted the late Apple co-founder as saying : 'I'd like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use. It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud.'
'It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.''
In 2009, Apple proposed a $30-a-month subscription service, and since then the company has periodically tried different strategies.
Apple's most recent plan has been to work with pay-TV providers like Time Warner Cable to provide a hardware/software offering to those company's customers.
At the Code conference last May, Apple media boss Eddy Cue told Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher that 'the TV experience sucks.'
'All we have today is glorified VCRs,' Cue said, saying the only big improvement is that now you don't have to reset the clock when the power goes out.
'The experience has been stuck.'
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