Apple isn t the only company that will have an updated digital set-top box to offer consumers this holiday season.
Two of the company s main rivals in the market, Google and Amazon, are both expected to have new versions of their digital streamers on the market too.
Google is expected to unveil its second-generation Chromecast device at an event later this month, 9to5Google reported Friday, citing internal documents it had seen. The new device is expected to offer a faster WiFi connection, a slightly different design and potentially the ability to stream news feeds from social media sites to users TV screens.
The new Chromecast is supposed to have a price similar to the $35 Google charges for the first version. The Google news site did not say when the new device will be available.
Meanwhile, Amazon on Thursday revealed a new version of its Fire TV device. The new gadget has a more powerful processor than last year s model and supports the latest, fastest version of WiFi. Unlike Apple TV and the model it s replacing, the new Fire TV also support 4K video, the new ultra-high definition standard.
Another new feature Amazon is adding to the box is Alexa, the voice assistant technology it built into its Echo smart home gadget. Alex is similar to Apple s Siri. Users can ask it to show them the weather, the latest sports scores or to play a particular song.
Amazon is offering two versions of the Fire TV. The base model will cost $100 — or $50 less than the base model of the new Apple TV. A gaming version, which includes a game controller, a 32GB microSD card for storage and two games, will cost $140. The company will start shipping the new boxes on October 5.
The company is also now selling a version of its Fire TV Stick with a voice remote for $50. The Stick is comparable in size to Chromecast and includes a less powerful processor than the one in the Fire TV.
In addition to the new offerings from Google and Amazon, Nvidia is offering the Shield, which it introduced earlier this year. The Shield, which starts at $200, is based on Google s Android TV software. It supports Grid, Nvidia s streaming game service, and the ability to stream games from users PCs.
Consumers can also choose from several different models of digital streamers from Roku.
All of those boxes will go up against the new Apple TV, which the company unveiled last week. The new device has a more powerful processor than its predecessor and for the first time will include an App Store and support for third-party apps.
Photo: Amazon s new Fire TV with game controller (courtesy of Amazon).
