Categories: TVs & Home Cinema News   Tags: ,

Rumours of a new Apple TV with a completely revamped design and shockingly low price tag have been floating around for a few months, and now a new report gives them yet more credence – Apple is allegedly pushing for half price TV show streaming. Is that because there just won’t be space to download anything on the new Apple TV?

NewTeeVee, part of the GigaOm blog network, reports that sources have said Apple is pushing programmers to allow for 99 cent (65p) TV show rentals, rather than the $1.99 (£1.31) it currently charges in the US for standard definition shows – and that they’d be streamed.

New Apple TV: iPhone OS and cloud storage incoming?

Some TV shows are currently 99p in the UK already, but the move forms part of a push with the rumoured new Apple TV for streaming rentals from the clouds, rather than via traditional, and sometimes lengthy, downloads. While rights would be the same with shows bought this way – you’d have 30 days to start watching, and 24 hours to finish – it would mean Apple could sell the new Apple TV completely stripped down, without the need for mass storage driving up size and price.

NewTeeVee doesn’t report when the streaming service for TV shows (and presumably movies) will arrive, but we think it all dovetails nicely with an Apple TV that’s long overdue a refresh, and a recent namechange for iPhone OS 4 (to iOS 4) that would make branding much less confusing if it wound up on the device. We’ll keep you posted.

What do you want from a new Apple TV? Let us know in the comments below!

Out TBC | £TBC | Apple (Via NewTeeVee)

Be Sociable, Share!
  • Fulltopuk

    Are you sure that the Apple TV will be cheaper just because it is stripped out or because if they can get the shows to be cheaper less people will be put off by the high price of the box as seems to be the case with all other Apple products.

    • bensillis

      The rumours (started at the very reliable Engadget) say it's going to be very low price. I can believe that, since while it goes against Apple's traditional high profits on hardware model, it's obvious that no one is willing to pay a high price for an extra set top box – that Steve Jobs has said this on record too is strongly indicative. I think they'll use economies of scale to use iPhone 4 hardware and software to make a very cheap product – think how little an iPod touch without a screen could cost.

  • RobHWales

    Part of the problem here in the UK is that Apple didnt drop the price when they brought in rentals like they did in the US so it's completely overpriced – £230 vs $229. I got both my AppleTV's in the US when the exchange rate was $2 – so each cost £100 which I think needs to be the price point for the UK.

    They need to put iOS on it and then open it up for apps – then we could have things like BBC iPlayer -that'd be great

    • bensillis

      Absolutely – it's the most overpriced Apple product in the UK.

  1. Plasmacluster tech: The fresh air beauty treatment
  2. Replicating dinosaurs with 3D printing
  3. Bookbinding: Always judge a book by its cover

Hot chat, right here!


Our most commented stories right now...