If Apple wants Arcade to succeed, they need to release a new ATV with larger storage options.
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Gurman: Apple Planning M2 Pro Mac Mini, New Apple TV With A14 Chip, Revamped HomePod With S8 Chip, and More
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Eventually one of these Mac mini rumors will come to pass. Even broken clocks are right twice a day...
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Or scratch this itch with a Front Row 2 app for Silicon.
For those who may not recall, there was a short time when the AppleTV interface was released for Macs as Front Row, effectively turning a Mac into an AppleTV-like device.
With modern Macs running on the same hardware platform as AppleTV, this seems like something that could be relatively easily done again. If so, the obvious candidate is M1 Mini as some retire it for M2 versions. However, for those who want max power "AppleTV", they could conceptually allocate up to a loaded Studio Ultra for this purpose too. All it would take to scratch all itches is making the AppleTV software (app) run on modern Mac hardware.
To appeal to a younger audience, Apple will rename its smart speaker to HOMIEPOD.
the same thing happens with chips from intel, amd, nvidia, etc. every chip isn't simply an upgrade on top of the last. they are working on many designs at a time.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
The next resolution step is always called pointless and useless and "no one can see" and "the chart, the chart" and "until everything in the iTunes Store is...", etc right up until Apple releases it. And then that sentiment immediately evaporates. It was this way while Apple clung to 720p when people started desiring a 1080p AppleTV... and this way while Apple clung to 1080p while people started desiring a 4K AppleTV.
It seems what is generally deemed "pointless" around here is whatever could be done now but not yet released by Apple. As soon as they release whatever was "pointless" typically becomes a "shut up and take me money" reason to upgrade ASAP. See phablets while Apple clung to 4" screens as "perfect." See front-facing camera NOT in original iPad. See NFC payments with phones before ApplePay. Etc.
Rumor is high that the next iPhone will shoot 8K video. There have been 8K TVs for sale for a few years now. There's already an 8K monitor too. How does one push the 8K video they shoot with the next iPhone/iPad through editing 8K on Apple Silicon to render as an 8K video on a Mac to ultimately display on an 8K TV or projector in the living room? Bring on AppleTV8K ASAP, as an absolutely key link in that chain.
As was the case with AppleTVHD and then AppleTV4K, just because the hardware is created doesn't force anyone happy with "as is" to do anything different. If 4K or 1080p or 720p or SD is "good enough" to someone's eyes, situation and/or their TV is limited to 4K or 1080p or 720p or SD, superior hardware can readily play lighter-demanding software. Notice how embracing 5G did not wait until there were 5G signals everywhere on earth. Hardware advancements must lead so that software can "catch up." It absolutely does not work the other way.
While I'm quite happy with AppleTV4K, 4K TVs, etc, I welcome AppleTV8K as soon as Apple can release it... and AppleTV16K ASAP thereafter. More powerful hardware simply invites the creation of more powerful software... while playing "as is" as good as it can be played.
I hope there will be an M2 Pro iMac option as well. Although I'm happy with my M1 iMac, I absolutely would have ponied up for an M1 Pro version (with 32 GB) if it had been available.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Nothing is wrong with A12. But per that logic, why roll out new iPhones, iPads and Macs this fall? What's wrong with the current versions?
Tech advances. We oddly covet A-series advancements on an annual basis, frothing for the next iDevice generation, setting our alarms to get up in the odd hours trying to be "first" to buy one... and yet with AppleTV we seem to have this concept of "good enough"- no need to hardware advance- coming up with all kinds of rationale to stick with "as is."
Better hardware plays "as is" software as good as it can play. It also opens the door to software advances. That can't work the other way: the software advances to take advantage of superior hardware can't work before there is superior hardware.
Those happy with "as is" can stick with "as is"- same with iPhone, iPad and Mac too. However, those hungry for "more" can get their itch scratched too. And the former can "come around" (or not) whenever they see something running only on that more powerful hardware that they really want to use themselves.
Probably because M3 is where Apple Silicon will make the next big jump (other than the Mac Pro chip). M3 should bring 3nm which will put Apple way ahead of the competition in terms of performance and efficiency.
M2, while being a good upgrade, doesn’t really shake things up the way M1 did when it first launched. The M3 should be more of a game changer.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I actually think slightly different about this. Hardware AppleTV is linked to a computer somewhere else in the house. That computer has TONS of storage. If I had it my way, I might jack up some RAM on AppleTV but shift where things are stored back to the computer. Just as we can stream over a ripped album or movie on demand, streaming over an app could work the same way. In this concept, AppleTV would have all of the storage one could attach to their computer. .. and usage would be as seamless as it is now... much like imagining AppleTV storage in a separate box attached to AppleTV (like a Mac Mini with apps on an external drive).
Since apparently Apple storage must cost the equivalent of gold bars based on Apple pricing, shifting storage OUT of the little box seems like the most obvious way to be able to roll out a cheaper AppleTV without losing any functionality... and still getting Apple the big fat profit margin.
OPTION 2: remove on-board storage and replace it with a stick storage slot: micro SSD or maybe up to an m.2 slot, so that those wanting huge storage could get what they want and those wanting minimum storage (price) could get what they want. I suspect m.2 would probably make it cost MORE than it does now but micro SSD seems obvious (to me).
It makes sense that the 12” and 13.6” MBA would have M2, 15” MacBook or MacBook Studio would have 1 fan, replace 13.3” MBP, and offer M2 and M2 Pro, and Mac Mini would offer M2 and M2 Pro, and of course, Mac Studio offer Max and Ultra. And then, or course, Mac Pro on top of all that. Seems like that is the direction the wind is blowing.
Please Apple provide a non-BTO 16GB RAM configuration for the Mac mini.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Sonos could deliver this wish- in a very Apple-like way- for many years now. They have dedicated home theater setups and their entire focus is on making speakers work really well. Airplay 2 works fine. They work with Apple Music AND are wide open (no tightly locked-down walled garden) in terms of working with any other sources of music one wants to use too. Etc. Speaker quality is very high- they sound great.
Kind of like how 5nm wiped the floor with 7nm oh wait it was a pretty modest improvement...
Don’t expect the world here. The big jump was when they switched ISA. It’s incremental improvements from now on, with the caveat that each new node offers fewer and fewer benefits as we keep inching towards the limit of silicon node shrinkage.
Things I’m interested to see.
- What will replace the current 13in. MacBook Pro with M2.
- When will the current M1 MacBook Air be phased out and the new M2 MacBook Air slotted into its place.
- When will we see this rumoured 15in. MacBook Air and how will it be priced.
- When will we get the M2 iMac.
Here is what I currently see. The M1 and M2 MacBooks are fully capable of doing many if not most Pro tasks. To that end I would eventually drop the current M1 MacBook Air and slot the new M2 MacBook Air into its place price wise. About the same time I’d kick the current touchbar MacBook Pro to the curb and slip the new 15in. MacBook Air into its place. Now you have clear Air and Pro lines. It could be a bit misleading because the current Airs can do Pro work for a lot if not most people.
The 14 and 16 MacBook Pros would be solidified as basically elite Pro machines for the market that really needs that kind of power and is willing to pay for it.
An M2 iMac, with 24 or 32 RAM, is something I’m interested in particularly for myself.
- What will replace the current 13in. MacBook Pro with M2.
- When will the current M1 MacBook Air be phased out and the new M2 MacBook Air slotted into its place.
- When will we see this rumoured 15in. MacBook Air and how will it be priced.
- When will we get the M2 iMac.
Here is what I currently see. The M1 and M2 MacBooks are fully capable of doing many if not most Pro tasks. To that end I would eventually drop the current M1 MacBook Air and slot the new M2 MacBook Air into its place price wise. About the same time I’d kick the current touchbar MacBook Pro to the curb and slip the new 15in. MacBook Air into its place. Now you have clear Air and Pro lines. It could be a bit misleading because the current Airs can do Pro work for a lot if not most people.
The 14 and 16 MacBook Pros would be solidified as basically elite Pro machines for the market that really needs that kind of power and is willing to pay for it.
An M2 iMac, with 24 or 32 RAM, is something I’m interested in particularly for myself.
Meh. As someone who was an early adopter of DVD and HD, and a moderately early adopter of 4K and 5G, I will say that 8K is a completely different kettle of fish IMO.
The main support for 8K that may be useful in the next several years is playback of 8K content generated by iPhones. There is no financial or technical reason to support 8K in Apple TV otherwise. However, none of those 8K iPhones even exist yet. Same goes for Apple TV+ content. You have to realize the installed base of 8K TVs represents less than 0.001% of TVs out there, and there are no mainstream movies that are mastered at 8K. Most movies, regardless of the original scan, are downsampled to 2K (yes 2K) or 4K for mastering, with only very rare ones mastered at 6K, and none at 8K. Furthermore, there will never be 8K physical media, and 8K streaming is not on the radar yet for any of the major commercial streaming services. (YouTube and Vimeo don't count.)
In other words 8K in an Apple TV is pointless in the near term... unless you think it must be there for future iPhone footage from iPhones. Except, none of those iPhones exist yet. But even then, Mark Gurman's Apple TV rumor states the chip will be A14, which as far as we know does not support hardware 8K acceleration. Maybe A14 supports hidden 8K decode acceleration, but as mentioned I suspect Apple will simply wait for A16 or A17 before releasing a new fully 8K-capable Apple TV. That wouldn't be for several years, which is perfectly fine, since 8K right now is pointless.
Considering Gurman is one of the biggest losers to walk the face of this earth. I consider this post entirely false OUTSIDE of the fact that any old fool could assume these will be the next products. If this is true. Why does apple hate its customers who purchased the 2021 products?
So it's 2 years now.
... Gurman also reiterated that he expects Apple to release a larger iPad with a 14-inch to 15-inch display within the next two years.
