New Apple TV orders begin, shipments start on October 30
As of Monday, you can buy into Apple's upgraded "hobby": The new Apple TV is available to order online today with shipments to start on Friday of this week.
I checked the Apple site this morning and the main Apple TV page doesn't show a Buy button as of time of writing. However, I clicked the Tech Specs link and saw the button to order a unit.
In the U.S., there are two models of the updated Apple TV: a unit with 32 GB of internal storage for $149 and a 64 GB edition for $199. Both devices are otherwise the same, running on Apple's A8 processor and offering dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
Included with both is the new Apple TV remote, which is called Siri Remote because you can perform voice searches on the Apple TV with it. The Siri Remote also has a capacitive touch area for navigation and game play.
Unlike prior AppleTV models, this version is "all about the apps," according to Apple. That explains the big jump in internal storage over prior versions.
Aside from additional content channels, Apple is betting that developers take to the Apple TV like they've done for the iPhone and iPad. The company has a new SDK for Apple TV programmers to create multi-player games, news channels and more to bring small apps to the big screen.