Is it just us, or has the supposed Apple TV 4K overhaul been “ready to go” for the last two years? The last we heard, the Fruit Company’s little black box was being held back while Apple figured out this whole artificial intelligence thing. It would make Siri a smarter streaming companion than she currently is, if all goes to plan.
The current iteration is no slouch, even if it did release all the way back in 2022. It’s got an A15 Bionic chip running the show, which, according to past rumours, will get the boot in favour of something a bit more capable. That’ll likely be the A17 Pro SoC to enable the smarter Siri we’ve all been hearing about for the last few years.
Another bite at the streamer market
It seems like the next-gen Apple TV may finally be nearing its liberation. In July, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that a new Apple TV and HomePod mini are “nearly ready to launch” as part of a larger smart home push. That makes sense, considering that Apple finally seems confident enough to show off its AI with iOS 27.
Don’t expect much in the way of a redesign, if the rumours are accurate. Apple’s fond of the black box we’ve seen for years now, and that isn’t about to change. Rumours abound that the slab of aluminium Apple calls a remote is due for some sort of refresh, to better enable Siri’s newfound powers. That’s coming from MacRumors, which discovered a mention of “ATVRemote1,5” inside the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate yesterday.
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Unfortunately, details are still thin on what this new controller might add to the experience. A Siri button seems inevitable, but others have called for a proper ‘source’ button for ages. There’s also talk of Apple adding a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip to make it easier to find between the couch cushions, just like the AirTag 2.
The A17 Pro, which is also the oldest of Apple’s chips to support Apple Intelligence, may also bring about improved connectivity, thanks to the N1 chip. That means Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and built-in Thread support. Whether it’ll actually come to pass, we’ll have to wait and see. If it really is right around the corner, the likeliest place it’ll turn up is at Apple’s iPhone-centric event in September. It’s going to be one busy event, at this rate.
