New Apple TV set

Apple will likely introduce a new Apple TV set-top box in the first half of 2014, according to a report Thursday.

The Cupertino, Calif., tech giant's upcoming Apple TV will feature a new app store, according to 9to5Mac, a tech news site known for its accurate Apple reports. With the added app store, Apple may introduce gaming content to the Apple TV for the first time.

Apple hasn't dramatically improved its Apple TV product since late 2010, when it released the second generation of the device. Since then it has come out with two newer models with slight internal improvements, but in general, the product has remained the same for more than three years.

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During that time, the market for digital media players has become more crowded, with rival Roku releasing several new models and Google introducing Chromecast late last year.

Unlike other Apple product releases, Apple TV has never caused people to line up in droves, but it has slowly and quietly become a hit product for the company.

Apple TV can be used to watch content from pre-installed channels. Users can also beam content from their iPhones, iPads and Mac computers to their Apple TVs.

Apple could be looking to spice its product up by releasing a new model that may include a revamped operating system that is based on iOS, the software used for the iPhone and the iPad.

If the company does release a new Apple TV model with updated hardware, software and a new app store, customers may line up for the fourth generation of the device.

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