Television channels are, according to Eddie Cue, dreadfully old fashioned. They should be apps instead.

Since 2007 and the launch of the iPhone, the Cupertino-based firm has been trying to turn everything into apps, and mostly succeeding.

Now, television is in its sights, with the launch of the new Apple TV.

Cue is a senior Apple executive who has been at the company since 1989 and who heads its software efforts.

He said: "Looking at the world by channels is sort of backwards. The numbers of a TV guide never made much sense".

The new Apple TV turns your screen into a series of tiles.

Users browse with the new remote, which has a touch sensitive panel, or by barking orders at Siri.

It's slick and quick, and Siri works effectively. Ask it to show you the episode of Friends with Brad Pitt in it, and it takes you straight there.

Over the last few months, he has also overseen the launches of Apple News and Apple Music.

That has put Apple even closer in competition with the other tech giants: Facebook (which has its own news effort with Instant Articles), Amazon (with its own video services), and Google (with YouTube).

The battle for your attention is fierce.

Each of these technology companies wants people to spend more time on their services, meaning that they can sell more advertising, devices and subscriptions.

Apple thinks privacy and security is a useful weapon in that war.

Cue said: "Those are things that we are building and thinking about as we're designing the product, building the product and shipping the product, and while we're running the product. It can't be an afterthought".