Apple TV weeks behind schedule

Apple's Apple TV product, expected to ship this month, won't arrive until the middle of March, the company has announced.

The $299 device, first previewed as iTV in September and formally announced at Macworld Expo in January, is a set-top box that allows TV programmes and films downloaded to a Mac or PC to be played on a television in another room.

Apple confirmed the delay in a statement but did not give a specific reason for the stall.

The Mac maker said: "Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected and we now expect to begin shipment mid-March."

Apple TV represents the company's latest effort to move past its core strengths into the digital living room.

Ina Fried writes for CNET News.com