Report: Apple TV Priced Under $200, Available in October
The buzz is getting louder on Apple’s (AAPL) September 9 showcase of its next generation TV set top box with news the vendor will price the unit up to three times what it charges for the discounted older model.
9to5Mac reported that Apple will price its fourth generation Web TV set top box, which hasn’t been upgraded since 2012, at between $149 and $199, a far cry from the $99 it asked for the 2012 version and the $69 at which the unit currently sells.
Even at the lower rung of the proposed pricing, the Apple TV will cost significantly more than comparable hardware, such as the Roku device and Google (GOOG) Chromecast, and content services such as Amazon (AMZN) Prime and Netflix, all of which offer similar products and services.
Apple will begin selling the hardware unit in October, the report said.
Apple’s new TV box is said to be a more refined version of earlier models, featuring a slimmed down chassis powered by an A8 SoC, more on-board storage, an upgraded operating system with Siri voice input and a fancier remote with touch-pad controls.
Reports also indicate the vendor will open a new App Store dedicated to the Apple TV along with a SDK for developers to build new apps.
Apple is said to have delayed plans until next year to announce a new subscription TV service intended to go hand-and-glove with the slated debut of its overhauled TV set top box. Talks with leading TV networks to license programming reportedly have bogged down, leaving the vendor lacking content for the platform, according to multiple reports.
The package of a TV set top box and Internet TV subscription service is important to Apple as the vendor looks to fan out its revenue generating vehicles beyond its flagship iPhones and Macs. At this point, discussions with content providers have slowed owing to haggling over price, with the networks said to want more than Apple reportedly is willing to pay.
Apple reportedly is targeting a $40 a month lineup of popular channels.
