By Jonathan Easton
Apple is reportedly set to release a cheaper Apple TV device in the second half of the year.
According to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company will produce a model which “improves cost structure” in H2.
At present, Apple TV 4K costs US$179 and US$199 respectively for the 32GB and 64GB models, while the lower-specced Apple TV HD (which has not seen an internal hardware update since 2015) is priced at US$149. The 2021 Siri Remote can be purchased for US$59, a price comparable to streaming sticks from Amazon and Roku.
While Apple’s streaming set-top has become the choice of home theatre installers due to its support for a wide range of standards and formats and its EDID capabilities, price has been a major factor holding back its wider adoption.
For comparison, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K, while not being as feature rich, retails at US$49.99. Meanwhile the high-end Nvidia Shield TV 4K, which runs the more customisable Android TV, features sophisticated AI upscaling and supports many of the same standards as Apple TV 4K, is available for under US$150.
In his tweet, Ming-Chi adds that the new Apple TV device would be released as part of an ongoing strategic shift within the company’s services business. He said: “I think that Apple’s aggressive strategy of integrating hardware, content, and service amid the recession will help close the gap with its competitors.”
After a number of false starts, Apple TV+ has garnered something of a cult following in 2022 due to the strong critical performance of series such as Severance, The After Party and the ongoing Shining Girls. Apple also picked up streaming’s first best picture gong at the Academy Awards for CODA in March.
