Apple TV Could Double In Price

The next generation of Apple TV could cost as much as $199 according to new reports. The rumored new hardware features don’t seem to justify the price and instead its success could rest on a potential TV subscription service.

9to5Mac says its sources peg the price of the new box at either $149 or $199. That would put it well ahead of the current edition (which started out at $99) and rival streaming boxes.

The only real new hardware features look set to be a revamped remote and support for the Siri voice command. There’ll also be an app store and accompanying software development kit to allow third-party apps, which could certainly be an advantage in making Apple TV viable as people’s sole source of TV streaming.

While these additions will be exclusive to the new device, what’s potentially the most attractive new feature seems to be coming to the current (third-generation) model as well: a television service that’s at least designed to be viable as a way of replacing premium cable.

As usual with any such cable-killers, the hold-up appears to be dealing with the TV providers. While 9to5Mac has pegged the price at $40 a month, other reports suggest this is still dependent on the deals Apple can do to license content and there’s some serious question over whether it can come up with a monthly price that gives it a worthwhile profit but is still marketable to consumers.

With rumors suggesting that at least some of the channels would still require log-in details from a cable TV subscription, it’s far from certain that the new Apple TV could be the genuine “cable-killer” that would be needed to make $199 palatable to most customers.