HomePod Mini 2 and New Apple TV Launch Timeframe Narrowed Down

[Rychiar]

That guy probably has more than one person living in their home... or has guests over to watch stuff in their home theater with them... or just doesn't want a Vpro-type device right now.

I'm one of the "oddball" SUPPORTERS of Vpro (around here) but it's easy to grasp why many still want a traditional home theater setup, even if they also own a Vpro. Both have distinct uses that serve their owners well. But only one of them can serve their owners AND their families & friends simultaneously.

In just about no way- including the single person living alone- do I see Vpro as a complete substitute. Even the single living alone probably dates... or probably has friends/fam over at least a little of the time. Home theater setups are a social activity catalyst... such as gathering around to watch the big game. Vpro is an isolated experience for one... such as closing an office door and focusing in on getting something done or watching something without any distractions. We all have our times when we need to do BOTH. And both are fine tools/tech where one or the other makes the most sense (for example, there's no way to take my traditional home theater (or even just the TV portion of it) on the plane) but I don't see either as a full substitute for the other.

yeah I'm just one of those people that almost never watches stuff with others. I watch tv when I get home from work. When I'm social I'm usually out of the house and if I watch stuff with people it's usually at a movie theater still. Over covid I got myself a nice OLED TV, a new onkyo receiver and a bunch of nice speakers and slowly built it up into a pretty solid atmos setup cus I like things as immersive as possibly... then I got Vision Pro and have barely touched any of that since unless I have to watch amazon prime since it doesn't work with Vision Pro... and I actually find it hard to pay attention now to a regular TV cus I'm so used to the immersion of the Vision Pro experience. It blows me away every day the way the atmos sound works with the AirPods Pro through the vision. I don't even think about how I'm not actually surrounded by giant speakers when I'm hearing that...and I can even enjoy it laying down staring at the ceiling

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Great setups on both counts. You stand ready to enjoy your "me" time but also easily entertain should any situation create a gathering at your place.

 

[Mike_Trivisonno]

My AppleTV is mounted on the wall. The camera would be pointed at the floor?

What's going at Apple? Are they getting hardware designers from Fiver now?

 

[thejoshuabradshaw]

Y'all need to stop letting GPT write your articles. This is nonsense. I think maybe it will be a setting to link a smart door setting to use what's connected i.e. TV as a monitor.

 

[Juicy Box]

Other potential changes coming with the next Apple TV include a newer A-series chip that offers faster performance than the current A15 Bionic chip, a starting price as low as $99 in the U.S., and a built-in camera for FaceTime video calls.

I would much rather them put a fan back into the ATV4K than add a built-in camera to it.

 

[ellpee]

Toward the end of the year! Right, any time between now and Dec. 31 and this hack will say he got it right.

 

[sublunar]

I think people have misread the thing about the camera - which is just a summary reminder that previous stories have suggested there would be a camera on the AppleTV. Maybe the original article didn't make it entirely clear.

Even if it's coming after the next iPhone - for instance - I still think an AppleTV would come with the A18 and not an A19 as 2H supplies may be constrained after the iPhone 17 launches. It's an obvious candidate for Apple Intelligence.

And if they wanted to make it cheaper - with a base iPad refresh coming - a reduced price AppleTV with the A17 Pro for $99 for example would be another good place to trial the Apple Wifi/BT chip.

 

[mattg3]

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple plans to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models this year, and now he has provided a more precise timeframe.

In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is currently aiming to launch the new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year."

That timeframe suggests the devices will be released at some point from September through November, rather than in March-April or at WWDC 2025 in June.

The new HomePod mini and Apple TV will be part of Apple's revamped smart home roadmap, which reportedly also includes an all-new home hub this year, followed by a Face ID doorbell/lock and a security camera as early as next year.

Both devices will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, Gurman previously reported. He said the chip supports Wi-Fi 6E, which extends the capabilities of Wi-Fi 6 to the 6 GHz with a compatible router. This can contribute to faster Wi-Fi speeds and lower latency compared to Wi-Fi 6.

Other potential changes coming with the next Apple TV include a newer A-series chip that offers faster performance than the current A15 Bionic chip, a starting price as low as $99 in the U.S., and a built-in camera for FaceTime video calls.

As for the HomePod mini, likely upgrades include a newer S-series chip for faster performance, improved sound quality, and fresh color options. The current HomePod mini was released in November 2020, and it uses the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip.

By launching these devices later in 2025, Apple would be leaving room for several other rumored product announcements earlier in the year, including new versions of the MacBook Air, iPhone SE, AirTag, entry-level iPad, and more.

Article Link: HomePod Mini 2 and New Apple TV Launch Timeframe Narrowed Down

Hurry up with the Apple TV. We have all the damn iPads and phones we need.

 

[xSushi]

Read: “Gurman said…” 🙄

*immediately skips to comments* 😂

 

[SactoGuy18]

I think Apple has quietly started producing the next Apple TV powered by either the A17 Pro or A18 SoC. And it maybe slightly bigger to accommodate a fan cooling system.

 

[steven3130]

AppleTV will most likely drop this year even if Gurman is predicting so lol. 4k 120hz is something I’ve been waiting for. It’s been 2.5 years and will be about 3 years (if it drops Q3/Q4) since the last AppleTV. Plus this is a money-maker for Apple (extra residual revenue via AppleTV+, etc).

Everything I have at home is 4k 120hz ready—just this damn AppleTV is holding me back.

As for the camera integration…does anyone really care? Who really has used their AppleTV to make FaceTime calls? I tried it one and never did it again. I wouldn’t complain about how they’re gonna get this accomplished. I’d complain that they wasted time trying to develop this when a tiny percentage of consumers will actually use it.