Apple TV

Apple CEO Tim Cook thinks the TV viewing experience is lousy. "When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years," he told NBC's Brian Williams.

Read: Apple TV hinted at by CEO Tim Cook

Cook is consistently coy about how Apple will go about making TV a great user experience. "It's an area of intense interest. I can't say more than that," he said in the interview with Williams. Some, like Piper Jaffray senior research analyst … Read more

Jeff Bewkes, speaking during a Business Insider conference in New York, said he hopes Apple makes an innovative TV. And he expects other companies to create similar products as well.

"I think Apple's a great device company," with the ability to take products that were called commodities, create differentiation, charge premium prices, build ecosystems, and create loyalty, he said.

"If they bring good interface navigation skills to the interface of TV and devices, when we're talking about 200 channels of … Read more

Apple may be gearing up to launch the next-generation iTunes 11 software "within the next days," according to a report by MacRumors, citing a German music distribution service.

Germany-based Feiyr emailed artists to submit high-resolution imagery for the music player's new layout, saying Apple will release iTunes 11 in the coming days. "Users have the possibility to view picture and galleries to every artist in iTunes," says the email.

While the email isn't a direct communiqué from Apple, it's possible that Apple is warning music distribution firms and … Read more

Apple could finally unveil its long-awaited TV in time for the holiday-shopping season, but not this year's season.

In an investors note out today, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said he believes Apple will kick off the TV in November 2013. The new forecast is a change from Munster's previous report in which he projected that Apple would announce the TV next month and ship it next year.

If and when if ever debuts, the new TV would likely retail for $1,500 to $2,000 and would offer screen sizes from 42 inches to 55 inches, according … Read more

Apple's plans to debut a TV set are just around the corner, according to a report.

In a note to investors today about cable technology company Arris Group, Jefferies & Co.'s James Kisner says the firm has heard rumblings from industry contacts that at least one major cable operator has been doing some tests to see if it can handle the extra bandwidth such a product might bring.

"...Our discussions with industry contacts suggest that at least one major North American multiple system operator is working to estimate how much additional capacity may be needed for a … Read more

Apple's plans for television will have nothing to do with killing cable companies and everything to do with playing nice with them, famed investor Mark Cuban believes.

Speaking to Adweek in an interview published today, Cuban said the idea that Apple would invest its bundles of cash in trying to "blow up cable companies" with its own deals with programmers is pure nonsense.

"I think there is zero chance of that happening," Cuban said. "Apple tries to do everything on commission. It's not big on upfront deals, and I don't see that … Read more

Apple quietly updated software for its second- and third-generation Apple TV set-top boxes today to make it work with iOS 6 features.

The new version of the software, dubbed iOS 5.1 (though not the same 5.1 iPhone, iPod, and iPad users got earlier this year), adds things like shared Photo Streams, search, and showtimes for local theaters through the trailers app, and a way to reorder the icons on the home screen (something that leaked out a few months ago in a developer build).

However chief among the items of interest is a way to switch iTunes accounts, … Read more

Apple's plans to reinvent the way we enjoy entertainment in the living room are being pushed back another year, a new report claims.

Apple has decided to shelve plans to launch a new Apple TV set-top box this year after facing negotiation troubles with cable and media companies, Bloomberg is reporting today, citing sources. Chief among the disputes is how software would be implemented in the new device.

The companies also can't reach a deal on whether the box should be sold directly to consumers or offered through cable providers, Bloomberg's sources say.

The Apple TV set-top … Read more

Apple's AirPlay streaming feature could soon work even if your devices are not on the same Wi-Fi network, according to a new report.

In a brief post, The Telegraph says that Apple is at work on a new version of the streaming technology, dubbed "AirPlay Direct," that eschews the need to be on the same local area network.

"The new version will require just speakers or a hi-fi and an iDevice; the iPhone, iPod or iPad would form its own network to allow a direct connection and music playback," The Telegraph says.

The feature is … Read more