Apple Streaming Service Could Arrive Later This Year

Reports of an Apple streaming service are popping back up, and it’s said that the company could launch it toward the end of the year.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple plans to launch a television streaming service in September that will include around 25 channels, which will include big networks such as ABC, CBS, and FOX.

It’s also said that the service will be available on all iOS devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, and will be priced at $30 to $40 per month.

As has been the case for iOS for several years, Apple is expected to announce its streaming service in June (most likely at WWDC) and will detail the new product to the masses, but won’t officially release the service until September when the next iPhone will probably release as well.

Unfortunately, it seems like a previous deal with Comcast didn’t work out, as past rumors have suggested that Apple and Comcast were discussing a streaming service, but that has most likely come to an end without an agreement.

Earlier in February, there was another rumor that suggested Apple was working on a streaming service. According to Re/Code, Apple was in talks with television programmers on deals that would see the Cupertino-based company offer a web-based streaming TV service to users.

Essentially, this would be something similar to the new Sling TV that was unveiled at CES earlier last month. It would provide a small bundle of television programming and charge customers a monthly fee in order to use it. Most likely, the rumored service would be available on Apple TV, and it’s even possible that the new service could debut alongside the launch of an Apple TV 4.

It’s said that he development of the streaming service is far enough along that Apple has been showing it off to television networks in order to work up deals, but all that is still in the early stages right now.

The Apple TV has gone well over two years without a refresh, possibly hinting that Apple is close to giving up on the streaming set-top box, but Apple CEO Tim Cook has said in the past that television is a big interest for Apple, so perhaps the company is taking the time to dabble with new technologies.

With so many new streaming boxes released over the last couple of years since the launch of the third-generation Apple TV, many users question if the Apple TV is still as useful when it first released back in 2012. Since that time, we’ve been introduced to a ton of new streaming options, including newer Roku hardware, the Chromecast, Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, the new Nexus Player, and more.

Many of the features of the Apple TV can easily be found on other streaming boxes, especially if you just need access to Netflix, Hulu Plus, or most other streaming apps, as pretty much all streaming boxes come with the major streaming services included.

However, the Apple TV still has its many unique features that users find extremely useful, and only the Apple TV can provide them.

For instance, AirPlay allows you to beam supportable content from your Apple device (like an iPhone, iPad or Mac) to your television using the Apple TV as the delivery man of sorts, allowing you to show photos on the big screen, as well as play videos on your device, but have them show up on your living room television though AirPlay.