If you were hoping that Apple's rumored fall iPhone event will also include the launch of an online TV service, don't hold your breath.
According to Bloomberg, Cupertino will not launch a live TV service this year, and is now aiming for 2016 instead. The company is reportedly in talks with TV networks like CBS and 21st Century Fox to license programming for the new service, but those discussions aren't progressing as quickly as Apple would have liked.
The main sticking point? Money, of course. Bloomberg's sources say Apple wants to offer a package of popular channels for $40 a month—or about half the average U.S. cable bill—to appeal to cord cutters. The problem is that TV programmers "expect to receive more, not less, money from new Internet-based services like Apple than from existing cable and satellite TV partners," the report notes.
Another issue: Apple simply "doesn't have the computer network capacity in place to ensure a good viewing experience," Bloomberg reported.
Apple is still reportedly planning to introduce an upgraded version of its Apple TV set-top box at the event. Just don't expect a revolutionary live television service any time soon.
Rumors about an Apple online TV service have been swirling since March when The Wall Street Journal reported that Cupertino was in talks with TV content providers to offer a slimmed-down bundle of channels via online streaming sometime this fall. Citing unnamed sources, the newspaper said an Apple TV-based service would include about 25 channels, including standards like ABC, CBS, and Fox.