new Apple TV

Apple unveiled a new connected-TV box for the first time in three years Wednesday, turning Apple TV into a modern contender against rivals that have been more responsive to consumers' growing appetite for online media.

"Our vision for TV is simple," Chief Executive Tim Cook said, speaking at an event in downtown San Francisco, where it is expected to show off new iPhones.. "We believe the future of television is apps."

It's more expensive, too. An Apple TV with 32 gigabytes of storage costs $149, and one with 64GB is $199. It will be available in October, and will be sold in more than 180 countries by the end of the year.

Apple TV is streaming media box, which hooks up to your television so you can watch Internet-delivered entertainment like Netflix and other digital media on the big living-room screen. A fresh Apple TV is necessary for the company to stay relevant against competitors, as consumer demand for online media -- and the boxes that stream it -- climbs higher than ever before.

The new Apple TV will include an App Store and a revamped remote with a trackpad and a voice-command button.

The new remote has a glass surface across the top that responds to touch. It lets viewers glide across a set of movies, or to fast-forward through a show.Another button will summon Siri, Apple's voice-command digital assistant. Siri results will search across Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Showtime and Apple's own iTunes, but it omits direct competitor Amazon. The voice-recognition feature also lets viewers tell the Apple TV to jump ahead in a video, or look up content based on the cast, director, age rating or date.

Apple overhauled product's underlying software -- its operating system -- to make the box more like your smartphone with a big world of apps. Called tvOS, it allows Apple TV to have new kinds of media, like games and fitness programs. Apple showed off several that would be available first for Apple TV: They included video essentials like Netflix, Hulu and HBO, as well as applications new to its streaming box like game Crossy Road, the short-term rental company AirBnB, and shopping with Gilt.

In the early days of Apple TV, the company positioned its streaming media box as a "hobby," but Apple's early start in market has made it the biggest selling device of its kind. Apple has sold 25 million in its lifetime, Chief Executive Tim Cook said in March. That beats Roku's 10 million total sold as of last year.

However, Apple TV sat the sidelines for more than three years, and sales suffered. With its focus on products like iPhone and Apple Watch, Apple hasn't upgraded the Apple TV to a new generation since March 2012. Meanwhile, the amount and quality of content online exploded, and competitors like Roku, Amazon and Google were agile. Sales of Apple TV slipped as rivals introduced and updated fresher products with more features and content, according to analyst estimates.

Apple in March cut the price for Apple TV by $30 to $69. The discount suggested the company had a new version on the way, and many expected to see a new Apple TV earlier this year. The company reportedly planned to introduce a new Apple TV box alongside the unveiling of a subscription television service, but difficulty securing deals for TV channels pushed that venture back.

Content sales through Apple TV are big business. In 2013, it sold $1 billion worth of content directly off Apple TV, Cook said last April.

Since Apple's last Apple TV hardware update in March 2012, Google launched its $35 Chromecast streaming dongle, Amazon introduced its $99 Fire TV box and $39 stick, and Roku released its third $100 streaming box and its $50 streaming stick. The low price of Chromecast generated intense demand, while Amazon's Fire TV incorporated features that made Apple's device look outmoded by comparison, such as voice search and an optional gaming controller.

[$149 and $199?  Well if they add CBS and Amazon Instant Video and Fibbage, then yeah maybe.]