New Apple TV Won't Arrive in 2014, Says Report

Apple typically keeps a consistent update schedule with its products, but one in particular hasn’t been touched since early 2012 — the Apple TV. The streaming set-top box — a “hobby” of the company for several years — has been the subject of constant rumors the past few months, with many analysts and insiders claiming a newer, better version would arrive this year.

Not so fast, says The Information.

According to that site, we likely won’t get a new Apple TV until 2015. Why? A couple factors seem to be at play; for starters, the looming merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable, as well as the fact that cable companies in general aren’t crazy about change. One only has to look at the way Apple dramatically changed the landscape of the music industry with iTunes to see why cable companies might be spooked.

That’s not to say the deals won’t get done. But it’s going to take some time — probably more than Apple had anticipated — and so it makes sense that we probably wouldn’t get a shiny new Apple TV until they’re in place.

It’ll be interesting to see what Apple does with this new box in terms of content. Apple working to secure agreements with cable providers isn’t necessarily a good sign; it could mean that the device will be more of a cable IPTV box than a way to deliver an a la carte TV service. But why would cable companies be hesitant to get on board if Apple simply wanted to own the front-end UI? That could lead one to believe that Apple is after a bit more control, and wants to shake things up a bit more than the cable companies are comfortable with.

What do you think? Will we see a new Apple TV this year, or is 2015 the safer bet? Leave a comment below.