Apple Announces the All-New Apple TV

Apple has announced the all-new Apple TV, bringing an experience to the living room based on apps built for the television.

Apps on Apple TV let you choose what to watch and when you watch it. The new Apple TV’s remote features Siri, so you can search with your voice for TV shows and movies across multiple content providers simultaneously.

Apple TV is built from the ground up with a new generation of high-performance hardware and introduces an intuitive and fun user interface using the Siri Remote, says the company.

Apple TV runs the all-new tvOS operating system, based on Apple’s iOS, enabling iOS developers to create new apps and games specifically for Apple TV and deliver them directly to users through the new Apple TV App Store.

“There has been so much innovation in entertainment and programming through iOS apps, we want to bring that same excitement to the television,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “Apps make the TV experience even more compelling for viewers and we think apps represent the future of TV.”

The new Siri Remote simplifies how you select, scroll and navigate through your favorite content while bringing unique interactivity to the new Apple TV by using a glass touch surface that handles both small, accurate movements as well as big, sweeping ones.

Adding touch to Apple TV creates a natural, connected experience, even if the TV screen is on the other side of the room. Developers can take advantage of the built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, and the touch surface on the Siri Remote to create games and other app experiences.

The new Apple TV will be available at the end of October starting at $149 (US) for a 32GB model and $199 (US) for a 64GB model from Apple.com, Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

A new Xcode beta is available for developers that includes the tvOS SDK. Developers can request an Apple TV developer kit.