What you need to know about Apple TV

Apple TV is known for providing the newest content to HDMI-equipped TVs. Photo: Apple

It’s hard to believe that the first-generation Apple TV unit was unveiled 8 years ago, but with revisions to its storage space, size and streaming capabilities, each successive device has become more powerful and detailed than the last.

Now the American tech monolith is set to unveil its newest revision to the streaming service, whose main attraction will be the presence of a Siri voice search facility that allows you to search for content across all of the apps on the device such as Netflix or the iTunes Store. Instead of searching each app individually, users can ask their Apple TV box to show them content tailored to their interests via commands such as “Find me some action films”.

In addition, a new swipe remote has been added, replacing the clunky arrow button seen on the controls of previous units, while the remote’s Siri button also allows the the user to control video and audio settings. The sleek black remote even charges via a Lightning cable.

The new Apple TV remote features a touch display with gyrometer and accelerometer. Photo: Apple

The app-driven TV features an operating system tailored to the device, known as tvOS. Heavily based on the existing iOS 9.1 that can be found on the newest iPhone and iPad, the software fitted to the Apple TV device can even automatically retrieve Wi-Fi passwords and iCloud credentials for the user, provided that their iPhone is nearby and has Bluetooth enabled.

This generation of Apple TV will also be the first to feature the BBC iPlayer app, which will be added to the device after launch.

With a pricing structure anticipated by some media outlets, the Apple TV device retails at £129 for the 32GB model and £169 for 64GB.

The product is expected to be on sale in Apple stores across the UK from Friday 30 October, with online orders for the product having been available since Monday 26. At present, Apple TV will not be sold via Amazon, as the rival company does not want to stock a competitor to its similar Amazon Prime device.