Siri-Led Apple TV Said Bigger And More Expensive

Apple's new Apple TV set-top box will add to, rather than replace, the existing model new rumors suggest, with the 4th-gen establishing a range ahead of cord-cutter plans. The new box is widely expected to be revealed at Apple's September 9 event in San Francisco, alongside the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, but new leaks indicate its much-discussed Siri control and other features will come at a cost.

The fourth-generation box will be priced at between $149 and $199, sources speaking to 9to5Mac suggest, a considerable premium over the existing Apple TV. That's currently priced at $69, having been reduced earlier this year from its original $99.

According to the leaks, the $69 box will remain on sale as an entry-level option, but those unwilling to spend the extra won't get all the headline features on the newer, larger model

For instance, the ability to control the Apple TV using Siri will be reserved for the fourth-gen box, it's said. The new hardware will also get a more capable remote control, as well as an App Store for which third-party developers will be able to release software for the set-top box.

The existing model will get neither of those things, it's suggested.

What it will get, alongside its newer sibling, is access to Apple's long-schemed streaming media service, with which the company is hoping to deliver a pared-back package of channels and content to would-be cord cutters.

Rumors had pegged the service as launching alongside the new Apple TV, but negotiation headaches are said to have pushed it back into 2016, when it will be made available for both 3rd- and 4th-gen versions.

Apple is believed to be launching the new Apple TV in October, which would presumably give developers the chance to flesh out the box's App Store.

We'll know for sure when Apple makes its big fall announcements in just a few weeks time.

SOURCE 9to5Mac