Apple has delayed a much anticipated new version of its $69 TV box which would let owners run apps for the first time.

It was thought the firm was planning to reveal the new Apple TV at its annual developers conference next week.

Now, the New York Times said the plans have been put on ice - and says negotiations with TV firms could be to blame.

Scroll down for video

Apple has made repeated attempts to crack the TV business. In his biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson quoted the late Apple co-founder as saying : 'I'd like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use. It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud'

APPLE'S STREAMING SERVICE The tech giant is expected to show off the Spotify killer at its annual developer conference in San Francisco. Set to cost around $10 a month, Apple is believed to have signed up majot artists to offer exclusives for its service, based on the Beats Music srvice. However, it is believed delays with signing up record labels could cause it's public launch to be delayed for several weeks. Advertisement

However, it said the firm will still unveil a software kit allowing third parties to make Watch apps and a streaming music service to take on Spotify.

According to the New York Times, 'The company planned as recently as mid-May to use the event to spotlight new Apple TV hardware.

'But those plans were postponed partly because the product was not ready for prime time, according to two people briefed on the product.'

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

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 Cupertino technology company has told network executives the planned unveiling will be postponed because Apple has yet to finalize the licensing deals, according to tech blog re/code.

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.

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

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.

And Apple is said to have shown programmers demos of the proposed service, but talks seem to be in the early stages.

Apple has made repeated attempts to crack the TV business.

In his biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson quoted the late Apple co-founder as saying : 'I'd like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use. It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud.'

'It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.''

In 2009, Apple proposed a $30-a-month subscription service, and since then the company has periodically tried different strategies.

Apple's most recent plan has been to work with pay-TV providers like Time Warner Cable to provide a hardware/software offering to those company's customers.

Apple also dropped the price of its TV box from $99 to $69 and Mr Cook hinted at plans for an updated Apple TV set. 'Apple TV will reinvent the way you watch television - and this is just the beginning,' said Mr Cook

Apple boss Tim Cook has also said several times the company wants to figure out how to crack TV.

At the Code conference last May, Apple media boss Eddy Cue told Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher that 'the TV experience sucks.'

'All we have today is glorified VCRs,' Cue said, saying the only big improvement is that now you don't have to reset the clock when the power goes out.

'The experience has been stuck.'

Apple also recently bought an Israeli firm that creates technology which could mean the end of the TV remote - and even the computer keyboard and was recently granted a patent for 'Minority Report'-style 3D gesture controls.