The firm is planning to to unveil its new device at its annual World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco, just weeks after dropping to price of its current box from $99 to $69.

Instead of a traditional remote with buttons, it is expected to use a touchpad to allow users to easily navigate around, choosing from apps, live TV and on demand services.

According the the New York Times, 

'When Apple introduces its new TV box this summer, the remote control will gain a touch pad and also be slightly thicker than the current version, according to an employee briefed on the product, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the device was confidential.'

The report claims the touch pad can be used for scrolling around and there will also be two physical buttons, the person said. 

An Apple spokesman, declined to comment on the product. 

It is also believed to be working on a 25 channel live streaming TV service, which could be revealed at the same time.

The firm has been hinting at its plans for a TV for several years.

Apple has described TV as an 'area of intense interest, and Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue said last year at the Code Conference, 'the TV experience sucks.'

At Apple's Spring Forward event earlier this month, Tim Cook reveal the price cut, and a deal with HBO, saying: 'Apple TV will reinvent the way you watch television - and this is just the beginning,' said the chief executive. 

According to John Paczkowski at BuzzFeed News , Apple intends to show the updated device off at its annual World Wide Developers Conference in June along with a long-awaited App Store and a software development kit to help developers populate it.

'Sources say Apple's new Apple TV is a significant overhaul of the device, one intended to undergird Apple's vision of what the TV viewing experience should be, and to raise the table stakes in a set-top box market cluttered with barely differentiated devices from Amazon, Roku, and others,' he wrote.

'If I'm understanding the company's strategy correctly, the new Apple TV isn't just a play for a stake of the streaming TV market, but for the mythical digital living room. 

'Think TV, music, apps and a little bit of home automation as well.'

The system is expected to use the company's latest A8 system-on-chip and support Siri voice control of Apple TV.

It is also expected to include support for Homekit-enabled home automation devices - which include everything from lights to garage door openers.

Apple is It is also believed to be working on a 25 channel live streaming TV service, which could be revealed at the same time.

Channels are expected to include CBS, ESPN and FX, but it will strip out some of the smaller channels that come packaged on cable services. 

It is also expected to only be available in the US, although this hasn't been confirmed.  

The news follows Apple's partnership with HBO, announced at its Watch event earlier this month. 

Called HBO Now, the on-demand service is launching exclusively on Apple devices next month and this is said to be a 'taster' for what's to come later this year. 

Apple also recently cut the price of its Apple TV from $99 to $69. 

Last month reports claimed Apple was working on a Netflix rival. 

Sources at the time said the service would put together bundles of programming, rather than entire TV lineups. 

(dailymail.co.uk)