Apple TV may have gone from hobby to Apple's barely-better-than-hobby, but the Cupertino firm has ambitious plans for homegrown content after co-opting a pair of Hollywood execs from Sony. The move comes after rival tech firms like Amazon and Netflix, each with their own streaming TV products, have seen great success with their own, self-funded content.
As the rumors foretold, it seems that Apple and Amazon have buried the hatchet. Tim Cook just took the stage at WWDC 2017, and his first announcement was that Amazon Prime Video will soon be coming to Apple TV and the TV app. This means that Amazon Prime Video will be joining the now more than 50 channels that are included in the TV app, giving Prime customers access to their Prime Video content through Apple's TV box at long last.
If you were reading through the news last week, you might have heard that Apple and Amazon are rumored to have buried the hatchet in their content competition. This could mean a number of things, and chief among them is the idea that Apple could finally allow an Amazon Prime Video app on Apple TV. Originally, we heard that Amazon Prime Video could appear on Apple TV in the third quarter of this year, but new rumors say that it might get a reveal before that.
Currently, there isn't really an easy way to watch content from Amazon Prime on your Apple TV without resorting to using AirPlay with another Apple device. Amazon's Prime Video app is notably not available for Apple TV, which is a casualty of both companies' desires to be the go-to video streaming service for customers. A new rumor claims that this could be changing soon, as Apple and Amazon have apparently put their differences aside.
Following its unveiling last year, Sling TV launched its new Cloud DVR add-on feature for Roku and Android devices in mid-April. Now the company has expanded that availability, bringing its DVR feature to the Apple TV, as previously promised. With the feature, Sling TV subscribers who pay an extra fee will be able to save movies and TV shows for viewing after the show has finished airing.
With all the focus on smart speakers like Amazon Echo, Google Home, and soon Harman Kardon "Invoke", the original smart appliance has seemingly been pushed out of the picture. Either that or smart TVs and set-top boxes have become so common that they're no longer exciting. Apple, however, isn't done giving its Apple TV some love and apparently has some treats prepared for faithful users of this smart but non-portable device. tvOS 11, whose release date is still unknown, is tipped to get multi-user support as well as picture-in-picture videos.
ESPN has announced the arrival of a redesigned Apple TV app, a version that includes a better and simpler user interface, among other things. The new WatchESPN app is now simply called the ESPN App, and it includes livestreaming auto-play for users who have already authenticated the service, as well as a new curated collection of ESPN VOD (video on-demand) content said to include hundreds of hours of footage.
If at first you don't succeed, try Plan B. Apple doesn't seem to be having any luck in getting anywhere near its long-rumored TV service, so it might be settling for the next best thing instead. According to the usual sources familiar with the matter, Cupertino is planning on offering HBO, Showtime, and Starz in a single-price bundle, instead of the piecemeal channels it already has available. Whether or not this plan will pan out, however, largely depends on whether Apple is finally able to convince TV networks to do what it wants this time.
Apple is working on a new Apple TV model, according to sources, and it’ll offer Ultra HD 4K video support, among other things. According to the leak, this upcoming Apple TV model has the internal codename ‘J105,’ and will possibly be released within 2017, though that date sounds tentative at best. The rumored model is a bid to boost Apple TV sales, the sources suggest.
Facebook Video was announced for release today for several major TV platforms: Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, and Apple TV. What's missing from that list is Google's Android TV - which is surprising. Especially given the staying power of the Android TV platform and the fact that Amazon Fire TV is so extremely similar at its base. It's also strange given the attention Facebook has paid to Google's video products before - like Facebook's ability to stream from a smartphone to a Chromecast of Android TV device (which has Chromecast ability within).
What could be better than an Apple TV with the latest tvOS? Why, Minecraft on the Apple TV, of course! Months in the making, Mojang has finally unleashed the popular blocky game and world creator on the last holdout of Apple’s devices. And it’s no ordinary unleashing mind you. Not only does it already contain the latest and greatest, and deadliest, Minecraft update to date, it also offers players some festive skins and packs, though only for a limited time. Probably until the end of the festive holiday season.
Apple's attempt to cut through the confusion of cable television continues, with its new TV app arriving on iPhone, Apple TV, and iPad today. Part of the iOS 10.2 release for iPhone and iPad, as well as tvOS 10.1, the TV app aims to put all of your streaming content - no matter the provider - into a single location. Along the way, Apple hopes to simplify how many login details you have to punch in too.
