Rumor: Apple planned cheap TV stick for its own video streaming service

Apple is said to have planned a cheap TV stick to distribute its video streaming service to more people. Competitors Google and Amazon, among others, already have such a product in the Chromecast and Fire TV Stick.

The purpose of the stick is to get more people on its own video streaming service, The Information reports in an article behind a paywall. That streaming service should be released next year and Apple is working on its own series that users can watch on it.

The cheapest TV product from Apple is currently the Apple TV 32GB from 159 euros, while the 4k version costs from 199 euros. A stick would have a much lower price and would therefore be attractive to more people. The Information reports that Apple has had talks about the stick, but it is unknown whether it has put the HDMI dongle into production. It is also unknown what the specs, features and price would be.

Google has been offering the Chromecast for several years, an HDMI dongle that works with Google’s own Cast protocol. Amazon has the Fire TV Stick for streaming. Apple could make its TV stick work with AirPlay 2, its own streaming protocol for Apple products.