Starting Friday, Amazon Echo has become the first device aside from Apple’s HomePod to offer full support for Apple Podcasts.
Prior to this announcement, the only way to play Podcasts on an Echo was to AirPlay them from another Apple device. With native support, “Alexa customers in the U.S. will be able to listen to more than 800,000 podcasts available through Apple Podcasts on their Alexa-enabled device.
“Whether you’re listening at home or on the go, you don’t need to worry about losing your spot. Link your account in the Alexa app using your Apple ID, and you can seamlessly pick up where you left off listening on the Apple Podcasts App or your Alexa device. Pause the subscribed episode you’re listening to in the Apple Podcasts app on your commute, and continue listening with your Alexa device at home by asking Alexa to resume the podcast.
“It’s easy to find and play your favorite podcasts with Alexa—all you have to do is ask for the episode you want to hear.”
As TechCrunch points out, this “is the latest in a series of partnerships between the two rivals, which also included the launch of the Apple TV app on Amazon’s Fire TV platform, as well as the launch of Apple Music on Echo devices and Fire TV. Amazon, in response, has expanded its assortment of Apple inventory to include Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch and more.”
Whatever the motivation, further cooperation between the two companies is good for users on both sides.
Apple TV can now play a wider range of video formats following the arrival of VLC Player on the set-top box.
The open-source app supports virtually every video and audio file format in existence, which is good news for anyone with a collection of home movies that were unplayable on the iOS box.
The work depicts Jobs in his trademark black turtleneck jumper carrying an early model of his Apple computer and with a black bin bag slung over his shoulder.
With today’s announcement, SpaceIL is the first of the 16 Lunar X Prize teams to book a ride off the planet. If the mission succeeds, it will be the first Israeli mission — as well as the first private spaceflight mission — to soft-land a vehicle on the lunar surface. Eran Privman, CEO of SpaceIL, claimed the group isn’t focused on the competition, but they are confident they can win. “I promise you once we land on the Moon, we’ll look around and see we are the first,” he said.
Only three nations have ever landed a spacecraft intact on the Moon: the United States, Russia, and China. Many countries have slammed lunar orbiters or probes into the Moon to study its environment, but gently landing a spacecraft is trickier. The Moon is big enough to have a gravitational pull, but it doesn’t have an atmosphere to slow incoming objects. Spacecraft in lunar orbit must fire retro-rockets, very precisely, in the opposite direction of the Moon. That way they can slowly descend without slamming into the rock. It’s a delicate procedure that usually requires a lot of time and money, which is why only government agencies have been able to do it up until now.
A trait carried over from their debut, luckily for us listeners
Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)
That it was only then, on the homeward voyage, after the encounter, that the final monomania seized him, seems all but certain from the fact that, at intervals during the passage, he was a raving lunatic; and, though unlimbed of a leg, yet such vital strength yet lurked in his Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances, the old man’s delirium seemed left behind him with the Cape Horn swells.
Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.
Lauren Mayberry’s lyrics touches on elements of heartbreak
God the direful madness was now gone; even then, Ahab, in his hidden self, raved on. Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.
But, as in his narrow-flowing monomania, not one jot of Ahab’s broad madness had been left behind; so in that broad madness, not one jot of his great natural intellect had perished. That before living agent, now became the living instrument. If such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon upon its own mad mark. I knew the Indians would soon discover that they were on the wrong trail and that the search for me would be renewed in the right direction as soon as they located my tracks. I had gone but a short distance further when what seemed to be an excellent trail opened up around the face of a high cliff. The trail was level and quite broad and led upward and in the general direction I wished to go. The cliff arose for several hundred feet on my right, and on my left was an equal and nearly perpendicular drop to the bottom of a rocky ravine.
Twitter announced the introduction of Digits for tvOS to help developers verify users for apps on Apple TV.
“One of the biggest challenges with developing apps for Apple TV is onboarding and verifying new users,” a Twitter spokesperson tells WebProNews in an email. “Starting today, Digits brings simple logins to tvOS — without a social account needed. Unlike mobile or web, the user experience of traditional login and verification methods on the Apple TV are cumbersome. With Digits, users can easily and safely log into Apple TV apps, and it takes just a few lines of code for developers.”
The company also announced that its crash reporting solution Crashlytics also now supports tvOS.
“Our tvOS support gives you the same award-winning experience that you’ve come to expect from us, starting with prioritizing your most prevalent crashes down to giving you the exact line of code that caused your Apple TV app to crash,” Jason St. Pierre says on the Crashlytics blog. “Just like on iOS, there’s no need to wait days for a crash report: we’ll notify you with what’s important in real time so you can fix crashes as they happen. On top of that, you’ll have total visibility into an issue’s life cycle for your Apple TV apps, with a complete picture of how an issue is affecting your builds.”
More information is available about Digits for tvOS and Crashlytics for tvOS here and here respectively.
About a month ago, Bloomberg got its hands on a letter from Amazon to third-party sellers indicating that it would stop selling Apple TV and Google Chromecast devices starting on October 29. They weren’t lying. You can no longer find these items on Amazon.
The letter said: “Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime. It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion.”
As Variety reports, the company has followed through on its plans. You can now search for Apple TV or Chromecast, and you’ll be out of luck. You can still find items related to Chromecast, however, such as a book on how to set up (lol) and a mini USB power cable for the device.
Amazon still lists players that work with Amazon’s Prime Video service, such as Xbox, Playstation, and Roku.
Of course, Amazon also sells its own direct competitors to Apple TV and Chromecast in the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. In fact, these items appear at the top of the search results for searches for Chromecast and Apple TV.
In that’s sure one way to middle finger the competition news, Amazon is about to stop selling the Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast.
Apparently, all traces of said devices will be gone from Amazon.com by October 29th.
Bloomberg got its hands on a recent letter to third-party sellers:
No new listings for the products will be allowed and posting of existing inventory will be removed Oct. 29, Amazon said. Amazon’s streaming video service, called Prime Video, doesn’t run easily on rival’s devices.
“Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime,” Amazon said in the e-mail. “It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion.”
Roku Inc.’s hardware, Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox, and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation, which work with Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service, aren’t affected, Amazon said.
From that, it’s pretty clear that Amazon is blaming the move on the fact that Apple TV and Chromecast lack of Amazon Prime Video support.
And that could be part of it, I guess. But Amazon also sells these things called the Fire TV and the Fire TV stick, which just happen to be direct competitors of the Apple TV and Chromecast.
Oh well. There are plenty of places to buy Apples TVs and Chromecasts.
This has been the latest installment of When Corporate Giants Can’t Get Along.
Apple unveiled its new Apple TV at a press event today along with its new operating system tvOS and the associated SDK and APIs.
The company re-built the Apple TV experience from the round up with new hardware and a new user interface that makes use of the Siri Remote. Apple says:
The new Siri Remote dramatically 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 that have never been seen on TV before.
With Siri, you can use your voice to search TV shows and movies by title, genre, cast, crew, rating or popularity, making it easy to say things like “Show me New Girl,” “Find the best funny movies from the ‘80s,” “Find movies with Jason Bateman” and “Find popular TV shows for kids.” Apple TV will search iTunes® and popular apps from Netflix, Hulu, HBO and Showtime, displaying all the ways the resulting TV shows and movies can be played. Siri also offers playback control and on-screen navigation, as well as quick access to sports, stock and weather information.
tvOS is based on iOS and lets developers create new apps and games specifically for the device. Users can discover the apps through a new Apple TV App Store.
The new Apple TV has an A8 chip for improved performance so developers can build higher-end apps It supports Metal for graphics and visual effects.
The device will run you $149 for the low-end 32GB version. It’s $199 for the 64GB model. Clearly they’re not looking to compete in the $35 Chromecast market.
Apple’s next big event will take place on September 9th.
The company has just sent out press invitations, which feature the phrase “Hey Siri, give us a hint.”
It’s widely expected that Apple will unveil two news iPhone models at the event – likely the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
As is the case with all of Apple’s mid-number change upgrades, the iPhone 6s is not expected to go through any significant design changes. Reports have suggested that it might be a bit thicker, but as far as screen size of overall frame dimensions things will likely stay the same. Having said that, Apple is pretty confident that you’re going to want one.
The new phone is expected to come equipped with Force Touch technology, which basically consists of tiny sensors in the retina display that make the device able to distinguish between a light tap and a firm press. It’s already in use in the Apple Watch and gives users a wider range of controls and options based on the pressure they put into any action.
The Siri shoutout could mean a lot of things, or it could mean nothing. It is a cryptic Apple invite, after all. Alongside the new iPhones, Apple is rumored to be gearing up to unveil a new Apple TV – one that would sport Siri support and a full App Store.
The new operating system iOS 9 is also due out soon, so we’ll probably get some additional updates/demo on that.
We’ll be covering the event, as usual. What do you want to see at Apple’s big event?
If you have an iPhone, iPad, or an Apple TV, a reliable internet connection, and $15 per month to spare, you can now access HBO.
HBO NOW, the cable subscription-free streaming service first announced in March at Apple’s Watch event, is now live. You should be able to download the app from the App Store, although some people are reporting issues. We were able to download app just fine on iOS, but were told it’s not yet available in the US when trying to access it on desktop iTunes.
The HBO NOW website is now offering signups. The company is offering a 30-day free trial.
HBO NOW should work like HBO GO, even in terms of sharing and multiple video streaming.
“The number of videos that you and members of your household can play at the same time with HBO NOW is similar to HBO GO. Like the traditional broadcast HBO subscription, we view it as a household subscription. However, if we see a level of sharing that affects our business, there are other tools of enforcement available to us,” says HBO. “There is no limit to the number of supported devices you can use with your HBO NOW subscription. However, the number of videos you can watch simultaneously across all your devices is limited for security reasons.”
Apple has an exclusive deal with HBO for HBO NOW – one that is expected to last a few months. After that, HBO says it will add support for Android and “more devices over time.”
Apple announced that HBO Now would be coming exclusively to Apple devices – Apple TV, iPhone, iPad. It’s a huge deal for Apple and HBO alike, but the exclusivity of the deal will no doubt perturb some cordcutters who’ve been waiting for a cable-less HBO offering for many years.
Ideally, HBO would have simply launched an HBO GO-style streaming platform, let people sign up without a cable subscription, and make it available on multiple platforms. But alas, Apple snagged this one.
It’ll cost $15 per month and the first month is free if you subscribe in April, ahead of the premiere of Game of Thrones.
Apple did just cut the price of Apple TV to $69, however, so there’s that.
UPDATE 1: HBO says that it’ll continue to discuss HBO NOW with “its existing network of distributors and new digital partners.”
HBO via email: "HBO continues to be in discussions with its existing network of distributors and new digital partners to offer HBO NOW".
Cable TV is one of the worst investments a family can make today. There’s only so much to watch, and lot of it is never on when you want it to be. That’s why cable cutters are on the rise, and it’s easier than ever to say goodbye to your cable TV provider over the holidays.
Cable cutters have a multitude of options when it comes to streaming video solutions with Google, Amazon, Roku and Apple all offering compelling hardware. The question during the holidays is which company offers the best value. For the purposes of this article, we can ignore any potential sales and focus solely on base value.
First off is the Google Chromecast – the $35 streaming stick that connects to your TV via HDMI. It’s small and unobtrusive, but it requires that you either own an iOS or Android device. If you have a mobile device, you can “cast” video from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and many others onto the Chromecast. It also interacts with Google Play so you can watch all the movies and listen to all the music that you’ve bought via the service. What’s that? You haven’t bought anything on Google Play? Well, Google is offering Chromecast buyers $20 in Google Play Movies credit and free trials to Google Play Music and Hulu Plus during the holidays.
Starting out, Amazon couldn’t really compete with Google on price as its Fire TV was a full-fledged set top box that went for $99. That all changed this year, however, when Amazon introduced the Fire TV Stick – a $40 streaming stick that directly competes with the Chromecast. Amazon promises a device with 4x the storage and 2x the memory of the Chromecast hence the $5 markup. It also has access to Amazon Instant Video so Prime members will be right at home with this one. Another benefit is that the device ships with a dedicated remote so users don’t have to own a mobile device to use it.
Roku, the first company to really nail the set-top box concept, also has a streaming stick in stores this holiday. The Roku Streaming Stick, which retails for $50, is kind of a best of both worlds between the Chromecast and Fire TV Stick. It offers all the same services as the previous two while allowing users to control either via included remote or their smartphone. Roku is also offering a special deal where first time buyers get over $40 of movies, TV and music from Hulu Plus and Rdio Unlimited.
Finally, Apple is offering its premium Apple TV to buyers looking for something that keeps them in the comfy, conformist Apple ecosystem. Staring at $99, the Apple TV is the only set-top box you’ll see on this list as the company has not released a streaming stick. It’s also likely that Apple will never do so. The set-top box format allows the Apple TV to do a lot more than a streaming stick, like play games. The only problem is that it’s a set top box so those looking for something that won’t stick out won’t find it on the Apple TV.
So, which one of these fine products should you get for the aspiring cable cutter this Christmas? It really depends on their needs, but there’s a simple question that can easily decide which to get. Do you or the person in question own a mobile device, and are they comfortable using it? If so, the Chromecast is a great choice thanks to its low price and compatibility with dozens of mobile apps. If they don’t own a mobile device, the Fire TV is the next best bet.
People are using digital media players more and video game consoles less to watch Netflix on their televisions, according to a new report from GfK.
Consoles are still the most common hardware for Netflix viewing on TVs, but things appear to be trending in a different direction.
According to the report, 28% of those who stream Netflix on a TV use a digital media player (Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, etc.) compared to 15% last year and 6% in 2011. Ownership of such devices has increased from 2% to 21% since 2010, it says.
28% reported using streaming capabilities built into their TVs compared to 20% last year and 13% in 2011. Meanwhile, those reporting console use dropped to 43%, down 5 percentage points from 2013, and nearly 20 points from 2011, when it was 62%.
“The wide variations in devices used – and in preferred device by age – speak to a need for Netflix and other SVOD providers to optimize the user experience for each situation,” said David Tice, Senior Vice President at GfK and author of the report. “Not only do the device interface and remote control need to be user-friendly, but things like on-screen font size and menus need to be age-appropriate. With a quarter of Netflix users also being Amazon Prime or Hulu viewers, there is a potential battle in user experience as well as in variety and exclusivity of content.”
As long as we’re on the subject, here’s a look at some new titles getting ready to hit Netflix.
Apple confirmed earlier this week that it will be holding a media event on October 22. The company is expected to reveal a new iPad and iPad Mini at the event, but a recent Amazon listing suggests we’ll see a new Apple TV as well.
AppleInsider reports that Amazon France and Amazon Germany have both sold out of the current generation Apple TV. Now, that’s not all that surprising as tech products, especially those from Apple, will sell out every now and then. What makes this listing suspect, however, is the date in which Amazon expects to have it back in stock.
Even if you can’t read German, you can tell that the listing says the Apple TV will be back in stock on October 23. That’s only one day after Apple’s event on October 22, and Apple generally launches products like the Apple TV a day after its unveiling.
Now, this is not conclusive evidence that a new Apple TV is coming next week. After all, this is Amazon, not Apple. The retailer does have a history of conveniently selling out of products right before a new one is announced, but that usually only applies to its own Kindle tablets. For it know that Apple will be introducing a new Apple TV next week isn’t out of the question, but it is unexpected.
Even if this is purely a coincidence, there’s still a pretty good chance that Apple will be unveiling the new Apple TV next week. After all, the company says that it still has “a lot to cover.” That presumably means that we’ll be seeing more than just an iPad and iPad Mini refresh. In fact, I suspect that we’ll see refreshes for almost everything in Apple’s stable of hardware products next week.
For now though, you might want to hold off on buying that new Apple TV. It would be such a waste to buy the current model, which is still available via Amazon US, only to see Apple announcing a new one a few days later.
Just yesterday, we heard reports that Apple would be pushing an Apple TV software update alongside its planned iOS 7 update on September 18. Now it appears that some new Apple TV hardware might be headed our way as well.
TechCrunch columnist MG Siegler teased on Twitter last night that Apple would have some new Apple TV hardware ready to show in October:
I guess those excited about a software refresh in a week are gonna be *really* excited when new Apple TV hardware is unveiled next month.
If he’s right, Apple will probably unveil the new Apple TV hardware at the same event that it’s rumored to reveal the new iPad and iPad Mini. With both devices sharing the same event, Apple could also be using it to announce some new sharing capabilities between the iPad and Apple TV.
If the report form yesterday was on the money, we already know that next week’s rumored Apple TV update will add the ability to stream content to an Apple TV that’s not yours via AirPlay. With the new Apple TV, the company might add even more sharing functionality between its devices.
Like always, the reports of a new Apple TV cause some to think that Apple will finally unveil a proper HDTV set. The persistent rumors show no sign of letting up, and each new Apple TV rumor just adds more fuel to the fire. If a new Apple TV is to be shown next month, however, you’d best not get your hopes up. The latest Apple HDTV rumor says that we’re not getting a proper TV from the Cupertino-based company until at least the first half of 2014.
Still, a new Apple TV set top box is exciting news for those who have been waiting for a new model since the model released earlier this year was merely a minor revision to the Apple TV released in 2012. With its latest hardware update, Apple may have the power necessary to push even better content to consumers’ TVs.
Yesterday’s Apple event was a little on the skimpy side. The company showed off two new iPhones – the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C – but it didn’t really announce anything new beyond that. Well, now it looks like Apple skipped out on announcing some Apple TV news.
All Things D reports that Apple TV will be receiving an overhaul of its software on September 18. You may recall from yesterday that September 18 is the same day as the launch of iOS 7. The timing makes sense as Apple would want to update all devices that run iOS on that day.
So, what does this rumored Apple TV overhaul entail? There’s not a lot of details at the moment, but the current rumors state that Apple’s streaming device will have its AirPlay feature updated to play content not associated with it. In other words, a person can play content they do own from their iPhone or iPad on an Apple TV they don’t own. That particular update should bring Apple TV more in line with Google’s new Chromecast in allowing more user freedom to play what they want.
Beyond the above information, we know absolutely nothing else about the rumored Apple TV update. I would wager, however, that we might see a UI overhaul to go along with iOS 7’s major UI overhaul. Apple might even add iTunes Radio to the services on Apple TV for those who like to jam out to music on their televisions.
For more Apple TV news, we might have to wait until October. It’s rumored that Apple will unveil the next iPad and iPad Mini at an event next month, and a new Apple TV might be along for the ride. The company released a revision of its latest Apple TV earlier this year, but the changes were so minimal that it might make sense for them to release a proper hardware update soon.
As far back as the spring of 2011 Apple has been rumored to have been working on an all-in-one HDTV. The device has been rumored to be many different things, with rumors making it seem to be the miracle device that would break local cable company monopolies across the U.S.
Though rumors of this “iTV” have gone so far as to suggest production was underway, the device has consistently failed to surface. Rumors alternately predicting imminent launches and months-long delays have all proven false. The latest delay rumor hinted that Apple had failed to secure content for the iTV, running into the wall cable companies have built around their content distribution schemes.
This week, fresh iTV rumors have surfaced from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News. The report, translated by MacRumors, asserts that Apple is now partnering with Corning, Foxconn, G-Tech Optoelectronics, and Innolux to develop an HDTV. The report’s unnamed industry sources stated that these companies med two weeks ago to iron out details on the device’s display.
The report also provided fresh rumors about the iTV’s hardware. The device will reportedly come in 55-inch and 60-inch models sporting Gorilla-Glass displays. In addition, the rumored release date for the iTV can now be officially pushed back to the first half of 2014.
Apple has reportedly acquired Matcha.tv, former provider of an iOS app, which served as something of a TV guide for cable, online streaming services and online video stores like iTunes and Amazon.
Matcha.tv was shut down a few months ago, but now VentureBeat reports (citing people with knowledge of the deal) that Apple acquired it. A message on its site says:
Dear users of Matcha, we thank you for using Matcha and hope we were able to improve your TV and movie viewing experience. Unfortunately, from today going forward, this service is no longer available. All personal information collected by Matcha has been deleted. If you have any further questions about your account, please email us at: contact@matcha.tv.
VB shares a generic statement from Apple:
“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
Apple, of course, is expected to make waves in the TV industry sooner or later, so it’s not hard to see where an acquisition like this would come in handy. It also keeps the app from expanding to rivals like Android.
Nobody seems to know how much Apple might have paid for the company.
Netflix users will soon have access to separate profiles for different members of their household. At E3 in June, Netflix demoed the feature (though it said the finished product could look a little different).
Now, some subscribers are starting to see the feature on Apple TV devices. MacRumors reports:
While the feature is not yet available to the general public, the infrastructure has been launched on the Apple TV. According to a Netflix customer service representative, Netflix users who previously set up profiles when using the DVD service will now see those profiles show up on the Apple TV.
One user commenting on the MacRumors story says he’s been seeing the profiles for months, and that he also sees them on his iPad.
Users still aren’t able to add new profiles or edit the ones that are on there, but it is reportedly pulling profile information for members who previously set up profiles through Netflix’s DVD service when they were available.
The official release of Netflix profiles is still expected to com sometime this summer. With the Apple TV sightings, my guess is that it will be sooner rather than later.
The feature will be a welcome addition, particularly for those of us with children, whose viewing habits greatly impact our recommendations. For that matter, it will also help those of us who enjoy “gory horror movies from the 80s” and have children. Nothing like seeing Re-Animator recommended alongside Thomas The Tank Engine or a list for “Because you watched Curious George” just above a list for “Because you watched A Horrible Way to Die“.
Last year, as rumors of an Apple HDTV were coming in weekly, the project was reportedly put on hold as cable companies balked. Companies such as Time Warner and Comcast, which has established (and often region-exclusive) distribution channels, were not yet willing for Apple to drag the cable industry into the online future the way it did for the music industry. This week, it appears that Apple is finally making some headway, at least with one cable operator.
Bloomberg is reporting that Apple and Time Warner Cable (TWC) are closing in on a deal to allow TWC subscribers to access cable channels from Apple TV devices. Bloomberg’s unnamed “people with knowledge of the negotiations” said the companies will reportedly announce the deal “within a few months.” The report also cites two unnamed sources “familiar with the matter” as saying Apple will hire Pete Distad, SVP of marketing and distribution at Hulu, to help its cause with cable companies.
Last month, Apple announced that both WatchESPN and HBO Go had been added to Apple TV. Those channels join Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming options already on the platform, and WatchESPN supplements the sports programming Apple TV already offers through deals with the MLB, NBA, and NHL.
TWC announced last month that a TWC TV app will be coming to Xbox 360 consoles later this year, enabling the same type of streaming Apple TVs are rumored to be getting. Streaming TWC programming on an Xbox 360 will require a subscription to both TWC and Xbox Live Gold.
Apple announced today that HBO Go and WatchESPN are now available for Apple TV.
“HBO GO and WatchESPN are some of the most popular iOS apps and are sure to be huge hits on Apple TV,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “We continue to offer Apple TV users great new programming options, combined with access to all of the incredible content they can purchase from the iTunes Store.”
“HBO GO users get unlimited access to their favorite HBO shows, including HBO original programming, hit movies, sports, documentaries, comedy specials and more,” the company says. “This includes full seasons of the best of HBO, plus bonus features and special behind-the-scenes extras. HBO GO on Apple TV requires a subscription to HBO through participating television providers.”
WatchESPN brings access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Buzzer Beater/Goal Line.
These content channels join Netflix ,Hulu Plus, MLB, NBA and NHL on Apple TV’s lineup, but Apple also announced that content providers Sky News, Crunchyroll and Qello are also now available.
Apple claims Apple TV users now have access to 60,000 movies and over 230,000 TV episodes.
Is Amazon about to jump into the set-top box game?
That’s the word from Bloomberg Businessweek, who quotes three sources familiar with the matter. According to the sources, the ‘Kindle TV’ (name uncertain) will be available this Fall.
Amazon’s new set-top box would work just like any internet-connected streaming device for your television – it would plug into your TV and let users stream internet content. Nothing revolutionary, of course, but Amazon has never offered a product like this before.
Naturally, sources say that the set-top box would let users stream Amazon Video on Demand, as well as Prime Instant Video offerings for Prime subscribers. The benefit for Amazon in manufacturing and operating its own set-top box is that the company would be able to point users in the right direction when it comes to content (watch it on Prime Instant, not Netflix!). Plus, it would give Amazon another way to showcase original content from Amazon Studios, which we saw get a huge kickstart earlier this week from a series of new pilots.
According to the report, the new set-top box is being developed by Amazon’s Lab126 division in Cupertino, and is being helmed by former VP of video products at Cisco Systems Malachy Moynihan.
Right out of the gate, Amazon would be competing with Apple TV, Roku, and consoles like the Xbox 360, which all offer the same deal – streaming internet content on your TV.
The first and most obvious question regarding an Amazon set-top box (other than price, of course), is which apps it would support. For instance, would it launch with a Netflix app, considering that they are a huge competitor in terms of battling for streaming eyes. You would have to imagine that it would, considering Amazon has been able to play nice with other video apps like Netflix on their other devices, like the Kindle Fire tablet.
Is it finally coming? Finally, really, in real life coming?
Those are the questions that have been surrounding the rumored (at this point mythic) Apple HDTV. Yearly predictions about the manufacture and shipping of an Apple ‘iTV‘ have repeatedly been proven false.
Last year, cable companies were (plausibly) blamed for the product’s delay after pressing for a large amount of control over content during negotiations with Apple.
At the beginning of 2013, analysts began switching up their game, predicting that the iTV would not be appearing during the coming year.
This week, Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White has been quoted by BGR as saying, once again, that the iTV will launch in the second half of 2013.
The analyst states the HDTV will 60 inches, with smaller sizes also available. He goes on to speculate that the device will come with an “iRing” finger interface device for the TV and a portable 9.7-inch tablet-like “mini-iTV” which can display content from the larger screen. White prices the TV set packages at around $1,500 to $2,500.
So, those are the latest rumors about the fabled “iTV.” There’s even a possibility that they could even be accurate this time, but gamblers would be wise to place their bets elsewhere. The Brian White who outlined this week’s rumors is the same Brian White who relayed rumors that Sharp would begin shipping LCD display panels to Foxconn at the end of last summer.
But, as in his narrow-flowing monomania, not one jot of 
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