Tim Cook shed some light on the phenomenal growth of Apple TV at the stockholders meeting held last Friday. According to the stats provided by him, Apple grossed over $1 billion last year just from the set-top box sales and with our superior math skills, that turns out to be 10 million devices. That is double the sales in 2012 and quadruple that in 2011. And talking about a device showing such a geometric growth, Tim Cook has accurately said, ‘It is getting more difficult to call it a hobby these days’.

What is more exiting is that all new purchases of the Apple TV 3 will fetch you a free $25 iTunes gift card. If past is any guide, this offer could be considered similar to Apple starting the sales of refurbished pieces of Macs and iOS devices before a refresh. Analysts are confident that Apple is trying to clear off the shelves to make way for the next Apple TV.

Recent rumors suggest that the Apple TV 4 could be announced anytime now and in no way will it be stretched later than April. However, the availability for purchase will be much delayed and we won’t have our hands on it until Christmas. It is speculated that the box will come with a fresh iOS-based firmware with support for games and third-party controllers. A public SDK for developers and an associated Apple TV App Store is also said to be in works. You can read everything about Apple TV 4 here.

[UPDATE]
The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple denied the possibility of an imminent Apple TV launch. He has a great track record in exposing Apple’s plans and is said to have strong connections within the Apple backbone. However he keeps mum on the other rumours we’ve heard, which does restore some hope.

More on Apple TV 4:

• Bloomberg: Apple to introduce new Apple TV in April
• Apple TV 4 references spotted in iOS 7 builds
• New rumors on Apple TV 4 surface as Apple TV gains special profile at Apple official website
• Opinion: Where is Apple taking the TV in 2014?
• Native gaming on Apple TV could soon become a reality as a new Apple TV with its own App Store is on the way, sources say

Stick around here at Apple TV Hacks (Facebook, Twitter, Google+) for more coverage on the new Apple TV.

The post Apple TV purchases to come with $25 iTunes card as Tim Cook says Apple TV is no longer a hobby [updated] appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

The Beatles have been all over the news last week, thanks to the 50 year milestone (Feb 9) of the iconic pop band’s first performance in The Ed Sullivan Show. Looks like Apple is celebrating and they’re doing it in a big, never-before way. They have launched a new channel on the Apple TV simply named, The Beatles.

The icon of the Fab Four gives way to a short profile of Beatles in The Ed Sullivan Show and a free-to-stream video of their historic debut show. The show is about 14 minutes in duration and of course, black & white and boxed in (winking)! In addition, the channel gives links to all US albums of  The Beatles which are available digitally for the first time ever. Users confirm that all the content is available on Mac, PC and iOS devices also via iTunes.

Apple has always had a soft corner towards The Beatles may be because it was Jobs’ favorite band. He mentioned them to be his role models in working as a team and frequently featured their iTunes content. Apple even indulged in negotiations for over a decade to get the rights to their content. But our friends at Facebook seem to think that the company is too much biased to a single band which is not healthy for one like Apple. Non-fans of the genre as well as other reputed bands may be a little offended too.

Keeping that aside and looking into Apple TV, we see that a new trend is developing in the channels. The profile mentions that the debut performance will be available only for a limited time. What happens after that? Will it remain as a channel promoting iTunes links only or vanish like the Keynote videos? We’ve never seen Apple doing either of these, just for promoting or featuring content. So are they introducing new temporary featured iTunes content on Apple TV, in addition to subscription-based/pay-per-view channels? Only time will tell.

And on the boiling pan, we already have the recent rumors of new iOS based Apple TV and in-built Apple TV App Store. Apple’s new Content Delivery Network and the ever-rising plea of users for a less cluttered interface are also among the ingredients.

We’re sure Apple is cooking something special and we can’t wait to see if that’d be delicious. While we look forward to the imminent release of Apple TV 4, you can check out our awesome article on Where is Apple taking the TV in 2014?

Stick around here at Apple TV Hacks (Facebook, Twitter, Google+) for more coverage on the new Apple TV.

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