Apple has denied rumours that its Apple TV set-top device will be delayed until March. 

A spokeswoman for the company told vnunet.com that it is business as usual for Apple TV. "We are still planning to release Apple TV in February as announced," she said. 

Talk of a delay began to circulate after Mac rumour site ThinkSecret reported that Apple's internal plans involved holding Apple TV back until March. 

MacWorld UK then reported that Apple had informed the publication that it would not be sent a review model of Apple TV until early March. 

A salesman at an Apple Store, who identified himself only as 'Derek', confirmed that any advance orders would ship in February. But he warned that the units might not reach consumers until March. 

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple TV under the code name 'iTV' at a special media event in September.  

The company has been accepting orders for the device since January's MacWorld Expo, when Jobs stated that the set-top box would ship in February.  

Apple TV allows users to stream iTunes movies, songs and photos to a TV set from their personal computer using HDMI video and wireless networking capabilities.