Provided herein are methods for the efficient in vitro differentiation of somatic cell-derived pluripotent stem cells to hematopoietic precursor cells, and the further differentiation of the hematopoietic precursor cells into immune cells of various myeloid or lymphoid lineages, particularly T cells, NK cells, and dendritic cells. The pluripotent cells may be maintained and differentiated under defined conditions; thus, the use of mouse feeder cells or serum is not required in certain embodiments for the differentiation of the hematopoietic precursor cells.