Apple Reportedly Launching A New Apple TV With An App Store In September

Disclosure: I own a small number of shares in Apple.

Apple is rumored to be launching its next-generation Apple TV later this year, according to sources with BuzzFeed managing editor John Paczkowski. Originally, the new Apple TV was supposed to be announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, but it was reportedly delayed due to the massive launch of the Apple Music streaming service. Now the new Apple TV is expected to be revealed at the same event as the new line of iPhones in September.

What features will the new Apple TV have? The new Apple TV will have a thinner design, an A8 processor and more flash RAM than previous models. A major change in the new Apple TV is that it will ship with a remote that has a touchpad input. And the new Apple TV operating system will support Siri voice controls. But the most notable changes are that the new Apple TV will have its own App Store along with a software development kit (SDK) for developers to build apps for the media streaming device.

Earlier this year, rumors were circulating that Apple was planning to launch a web-based TV service with 25 channels at a cost of about $30-$40 per month. That service would compete against Sling TV, which offers channels like AMC, ESPN , TNT, A&E and Cartoon Network for $20 per month. However, BuzzFeed’s sources said that the new Apple TV will not include the web-based TV service. Most likely, Apple's web-based TV service will be revealed in 2016.

At the “Spring Forward” event in March, CEO Tim Cook said that Apple had sold 25 million total Apple TV units up until that point. That figure is up from 20 million Apple TV units sold in April 2014. In 2013 alone, the Apple TV generated over $1 billion in revenue including hardware and content sales. 

Digital media player competition has been aggressive over the last couple of years. Apple dropped the price of the Apple TV in March from $99 to $69. Amazon.com is selling the Google Chromecast for under $30 and its Fire TV Stick for $39. And Roku said it sold 10 million of its devices in the U.S. as of September 2014.

The Apple TV is due for an update because the last model -- known as the 3rd generation Rev A -- was released in January 2013. The benefit of releasing a new Apple TV in September is that it will be available during the holiday season rush.

What are your thoughts about the rumored specifications in the new Apple TV? Do you plan to buy a new Apple TV if a new model is announced in September? Please leave a comment with your thoughts!