Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

Apple’s hotly anticipated next-gen Apple TV won’t launch until next year

Published Jul 30th, 2014 3:05PM EDT
Apple TV Release Date
Image: Martin Hajek

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

That list of “exciting new product categories” Apple CEO Tim Cook loves teasing at every opportunity keeps getting smaller and smaller — and now it looks like one of Apple’s most interesting new products that was rumored to be slated for a 2014 debut will not launch until sometime next year.

TV isn’t exactly a “new product category” for Apple, but the company is widely expected to relaunch Apple TV as a hub for content streaming, video games and other third-party apps. This massive update was expected to debut sometime this fall, but now it appears as though a fall release isn’t in the cards.

According to a new report from The Information, which has a solid track record when reporting on unannounced Apple plans, Apple’s team leaders overseeing the overhauled Apple TV platform have informed the hardware team that the new platform will not be ready to ship in time for a 2014 release.

The report notes that unfinished deals with content partners and content rights holders are partially responsible for the delayed launch timeframe. “On the content side, cable executives and TV programmers say Apple has bit off more than it can chew and deny they’re the holdup,” The Information’s Jessica E. Lessin and Amir Efrati wrote. “They say Apple needs permission from multiple types of rights holders to create the service it wants to offer.”

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.