Apple’s September Event has been and gone and it yielded a bunch of new products including the iPhone Duo. But there was no Apple TV 4K streaming box which we had been expecting to debut soon.
Apple still sells the 2022 Apple TV 4K with an A15 chip – there’s not been a confirmed replacement though there have been lots of rumors around one. Bloomberg reported in July that a new Apple TV was in the works, following up on previous rumors.
But whereas a new Apple TV might have got a little lost as part of the September event, it has also been suggested that it might appear either later this year or in the spring (the latter is most likely I feel) as part of a move by Apple to do more smart home gear. This will be backed up by the improved AI-enhanced version of Siri and we’re expecting the devices to include some kind of HomePod with a display as well.
One rumor even suggested this device was already ‘in a warehouse’ awaiting Siri AI’s full rollout – which is now happening. Another rumor suggested it could mount to your wall, and double as a doorbell hub.
That same hold-up – Apple’s overhauled Siri AI, now rolling out with iOS 27 – is possibly also responsible for the delayed Apple TV 4K as well. Reports instead suggest the next Apple TV will look identical to the current one. It seems it will be running A17 Pro, as indicated by references in Apple’s software code. This processor was first seen in the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023 and it powers the iPad mini too, the oldest chip capable of running Apple Intelligence – but presumably keeping costs down. There should also be a new Siri remote as well.
Connectivity is said to be getting a shake-up too, courtesy of Apple’s N1 wireless chip, which was first introduced on the iPhone Air and the iPhone 17 line. That means Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and, crucially for smart home nerds, built-in Thread support, rather than Thread being reserved for whichever model happens to have an Ethernet port.
The existing Apple TV 4K from 2022 is also now more expensive as well. Apple recently raised the price from $129/£149 to $199/£249 for the base model as part of a flurry of price hikes across its products, from MacBooks to iPads. The latter point alone should be enough to give pause, seeing as you’d be paying $70/£100 more for four-year-old hardware. It’s still powered by an A15 Bionic chip, the same processor that debuted in the iPhone 13.
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