Apple allegedly considered plans to offer its own Chromecast alternative as a way to increase the number of viewers on its upcoming TV service. The plan had been discussed internally, according to newly surfaced sources, though the company hasn't confirmed the rumor. Assuming the report is correct, Apple's dongle would provide access to the company's own video platform.
A report today suggests Apple is preparing to launch its long-rumored subscription TV service globally in the first half of 2019. This service would go to war with major TV show and movie streaming services that not only serve their own subscription content, but that of associated and 3rd-party brands. This service would work on Apple TV devices and - MAYBE - elsewhere.
Sony's livestreaming television service PlayStation Vue is now available through Apple's TV app on the Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad. The company announced the new support this evening, revealing that existing customers can now activate the serivce on their Apple device. As always, new customers have the option of signing up for a free trial.
Microsoft has ended support for Minecraft on Apple TV, the news having quietly been provided to device owners last month. The change only recently caught the public attention, revealing that Microsoft will no longer support or update the Apple TV version of Minecraft. However, the game does remain playable on the system, and there's a limited refund option.
Earlier this week references to Apple TV were found in code for Fortnite. Today it's been revealed by Epic Games that inclusion of Apple TV references in game code does not necessarily mean the game will ever be included amongst Apple TV's television-friendly games. Instead, they've suggested that the codes discovered are merely standard bits and pieces of the base on which the game is built: Unreal Engine.
It would seem that Verizon's preparing to partner up with one of two tech titans to deliver 5G television service to the masses later this year. Initial services could launch in approximately 4 large cities before the end of the year, but only if Verizon is able to partner with a big name in television programming. Apparently the ability to "provide television" is the forte of either Google or Apple - strange as that may seem.
Apple TV 4K is already a pretty capable streaming box, but later this year, it's going to get better. At WWDC 2018 today, Apple announced that Apple TV 4K will soon be getting some much-loved Dolby technology in the form of Dolby Atmos. When combined with Apple TV 4K's support for 4K HDR content, Dolby Atmos should turn this into one impressive streaming device.
In the year since Hulu Live TV launched, we've slowly been seeing Hulu expand the service to more devices and flesh it out with additional features. Though Hulu Live TV probably could have used a little more time in the oven before release, these days it's shaping up to be a fairly solid service. It's getting better today with the introduction of a new guide, which is going live on a number of device.
If you've been putting off upgrading your Apple TV first-generation, it might finally be time to relinquish the aging set-top box. Apple has warned owners holding out with the original media streamer that, as of May 25, security changes will cut the gadget off from the iTunes Store. That means no more new shows, and no ability to download shows you've already purchased.
DirecTV has quietly launched another of its must-see Apple TV deals, with new sign-ups to the DirecTV NOW on-demand service getting Apple's set-top box free. While it's not the first time we've seen the company run a promotion of this sort, this time around it's not forcing would-be shoppers to go in-store to take advantage of it. Instead, you can sign up online.
Back in September, Apple promised that it would add a News section to its TV app. In the months since, we've seen the company introduce a Sports section, but now News is finally getting its turn. The TV app has been updated with this News section, and in it users on both iOS and tvOS can easily browse and launch live news streams from many different providers.
Late last year, Google revealed that it was working on Roku and Apple TV apps for YouTube TV, and that we'd have them sometime in spring 2018. This was a long-awaited move for YouTube TV, as it meant that many people would be able to stream their service to their TV using hardware many of us already own. It seems that Google had both of these apps ready to go far earlier than anticipated, as yesterday it at last launched the Roku app many YouTube TV users have been waiting for.