New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Are Still Missing, Here's Why

[ekwipt]

I think Google will be dragging their heels on Siri until they release their own updated Google Gemini speaker (coming out soonm), and you know what, after using Google gemini these past few months, ill be buying this instead (i might buy bnoth) but there's no way i'll be "investing " in more Apple cripled speakers until they sort out Siri

 

[cycomiko]

So, never then

 

[marte91]

Apple skates to where the puck will be, not where the puck is. Wired listening is the past, where the puck was. Once Apple has perfected it, you can be sure it will return. Remember, Apple doesn’t seek to be the first but to be the best.

The revolutionary Siri has Apple’s best-in-class privacy protections. As the leader in innovation, Apple partners with companies to bring groundbreaking technology to customers, who Apple loves. Stay tuned for even bigger things ahead, from the world’s largest startup!

You should work as part of the PR team at Cupertino, and i would love to get some of the stuff you are smoking.

 

[jamjam1993]

Time to look for a different TV streamer then

 

[DeanCorp]

If Tim was reading MacRumors forum member requests we would’ve had a PoE++ 10GbE option by now.

 

[dampfnudel]

If Siri is not ready, it makes sense to hold them back since maybe they want to upgrade the SoCs going into them to something newer than S9 / A17 Pro to give them more headroom.

Yeah, at this point it would make sense to give the next Apple TV 4K something better than the outdated A17 Pro which probably only meets the bare minimums of AI/Siri 2.0. Especially if they intend to sell it for at least 2-3 years.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Yeah, at this point it would make sense to give the next Apple TV 4K something better than the outdated A17 Pro which probably only meets the bare minimums of AI/Siri 2.0. Especially if they intend to sell it for at least 2-3 years.

Or longer .... going to be 4 years this November on current model.
😕

 

[dampfnudel]

Oof. Well, I’ll be good and ready for that AppleTV.

A lot of people will be. My third generation Apple TV 4K has served me well since Dec. 2022, but I would like to upgrade it by the end of the year if possible, with console gaming and AI capabilities.

 

[dustinisatexan]

Well, they could...

• Add ethernet so that you don't need it on your wifi network.
• Add bluetooth as an input source so you don't need Airplay.
• Make Siri functional (haha)
• Upgrade the internal chips and design so it has better Wifi reception and processing power
• Make the touch screen a jog wheel so it's easier to adjust the volume on it
• Update the model number so people buying today wouldn't be worried it will be discontinued and EOL'd in just a year or two.

They would never add Ethernet - it’s such a niche feature for a mass-market product. Wireless is the future, and we’re in 2026, lol.

I also doubt they’d add Bluetooth either, as it would cause issues with people not connecting to Wi-Fi and not understanding why it doesn’t work as intended.

 

[SactoGuy18]

I think Apple may have dropped the idea of using the A17 Pro SoC in favor of the A18 SoC on the Apple TV box. This may allow the use of the N1 I/O chip for full WiFi 7 (802.11be) support and faster video decoding.

 

[svish]

HomePod might benefit from the new Siri/Apple Intelligence. Apple TV could have been released now. Anyway expecting both to be minor updates with new chips.

 

[melapple]

Wishlist for the new AI-powered Apple TV is true search across all installed apps by keyword. It’s crazy to have to go inside each app to see what’s available.

 

[Powerbooky]

tbh this would make a tiny bit of sense since with M4 MBA they bumped the base RAM on M3 MBA as well

this would effectively leave them with some stock of 8GB M3s ... which was also in iPad Air hehe

but would definitely make more sense if they tried to market the Apple TV also as a gaming console - which it deserves

but it's all just my wish and it won't happen of course ... they would need to open up tvOS a bit so apps could retain data and not limit them to just a few megabytes with everything else being just a storage self-clean up lottery

The M3 would be perfect, since its GPU performance is relatively better than the M4 and M5, according to some benchmarks. Or how about another one in the line of Apple Silicon: M5, M5 Pro, M5 Max... the "M5 TV" or "M5 Game"? 😁

Because nobody gives a hoot and they're at best mediocre products that do not enrich your life in the slightest?

Really? I got the 2017 4K model just after it was released, just for fun and research since I work in broadcast television.
On the day I ordered it, I didn't expect at all that within 2 weeks my family would have taken complete control over this "mediocre" device. Not only my kids, but my wife too. The cable receiver was never turned on again. Canceled the cable subscription soon after. Today we still use that same AppleTV 4K every day with most of the globally known streaming services. We have a second one for the bedroom and to take with us on holidays.
And quite some people in my neighbourhood have bought one in the last couple of years. Even at work they're used in meeting rooms for presentations.

 

[Non-Euclidean]

By the time the new Apple TV is released it should have the A29 Chip.

FIFY

 

[Dorfdad]

Apple TV has to wait for new Siri it’s baked into the system so we won’t see a new Apple TV till they get that sorted. That’s going to be the selling point from what we know there isn’t much under the hood that is a major upgrade outside a new chip and little more ram.

 

[marte91]

They would never add Ethernet - it’s such a niche feature for a mass-market product. Wireless is the future, and we’re in 2026, lol.

I also doubt they’d add Bluetooth either, as it would cause issues with people not connecting to Wi-Fi and not understanding why it doesn’t work as intended.

i use wireless when is needed, and because is the only choice, not only is an intrusion point, but even Wi-Fi 7 speeds are only a fraction of cat 6a, and if you think Ethernet is a niche, i have a bridge to sell you, and where do you think your Wi-Fi AP get is connectivity from?

 

[DeanCorp]

Wishlist for the new AI-powered Apple TV is true search across all installed apps by keyword. It’s crazy to have to go inside each app to see what’s available.

I’ve been saying this for years, and then when you do find something it then takes you to a paid option when it’s streaming on a service you pay for already.

i use wireless when is needed, and because is the only choice, not only is an intrusion point, but even Wi-Fi 7 speeds are only a fraction of cat 6a, and if you think Ethernet is a niche, i have a bridge to sell you, and where do you think your Wi-Fi AP get is connectivity from?

Absolutely agree. Dropping Ethernet on a 4K streaming entertainment box would be madness. I have UniFi XGS WiFi 7 with 10GbE and would opt Ethernet every day of the week. Having said that can we have a 10GbE PoE++ AppleTV

 

[dustinisatexan]

i use wireless when is needed, and because is the only choice, not only is an intrusion point, but even Wi-Fi 7 speeds are only a fraction of cat 6a, and if you think Ethernet is a niche, i have a bridge to sell you, and where do you think your Wi-Fi AP get is connectivity from?

Ethernet connected to devices around the home is niche - I can confidently say no “normal” user is wiring their home with Ethernet and connecting various speakers. Not a single Google Home or Alexa speaker has an Ethernet port, that is proof enough that it is indeed a niche need. The expectation that Apple would add it to a HomePod is absurd. You’re on MacRumors, posting in the discussion board. You are not a normal, average user.

There’s no bridge to be sold, knowing you connect a modem to your router needs an Ethernet cord is quite different than, again, having a house wired with Ethernet to connect to every device…

 

[dustinisatexan]

Absolutely agree. Dropping Ethernet on a 4K streaming entertainment box would be madness. I have UniFi XGS WiFi 7 with 10GbE and would opt Ethernet every day of the week. Having said that can we have a 10GbE PoE++ AppleTV

The post was about HomePod Mini, not Apple TV.

That said, they can continue to offer an Apple TV model with Ethernet, but having a version without is perfectly reasonable as most people would never use it anyway.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Ethernet connected to devices around the home is niche - I can confidently say no “normal” user is wiring their home with Ethernet and connecting various speakers. Not a single Google Home or Alexa speaker has an Ethernet port, that is proof enough that it is indeed a niche need. The expectation that Apple would add it to a HomePod is absurd. You’re on MacRumors, posting in the discussion board. You are not a normal, average user.

There’s no bridge to be sold, knowing you connect a modem to your router needs an Ethernet cord is quite different than, again, having a house wired with Ethernet to connect to every device…

No "normal" user is spending $4000 on a laptop or desktop, yet here we are.

And that was before AI.

 

[dustinisatexan]

No "normal" user is spending $4000 on a laptop or desktop, yet here we are.

And that was before AI.

That’s not a normal user either… Apple has 2.5 Billion active devices. Billion. Apple has repeatedly said the MacBook Air is their best selling MacBook - that’s a normal user. And with the Neo, that normal base is only going to grow. Are you just trolling?

 

[thejadedmonkey]

That’s not a normal user either… Apple has 2.5 Billion active devices. Billion. Apple has repeatedly said the MacBook Air is their best selling MacBook - that’s a normal user. And with the Neo, that normal base is only going to grow. Are you just trolling?

No. I'm pointing out that Apple sells a lot of high end devices, too. Just look at the makeup of this forum. I doubt most people are using a Neo and iPhone-E here.

 

[dustinisatexan]

No. I'm pointing out that Apple sells a lot of high end devices, too. Just look at the makeup of this forum. I doubt most people are using a Neo and iPhone-E here.

Exactly - macrumors readers and commenters are not normal, average users. They are a *tiny* segment of Apple’s customer base, and changing a mass market device to appease a tiny segment isn’t logical or reasonable to expect.

The OPs point was they wanted Ethernet in a HomePod mini - that’s not a logical expectation for a mass market speaker device. It wouldn’t utilized by 99%+ of the users, and would have no meaningful improvement for 99%+ of users either.

I guess I’m confused on the point you’re making if that wasn’t it.

 

[Chopper9]

really no reason to update them otherwise. hell, the Apple TV from 10 years ago still works fine

"Works fine" is an opinion. You'll give up 4k, HDR, smoother video, facetime, smart home hub, dolby vision and spacial audio, siri remote, UI, etc. Add to that the proposed features of the next gen include faster chip for better performance and gaming, apple intelligence, wifi 7 for lower latency and faster streaming, potentially built in camera, and better pricing.

 

[turbineseaplane]

"Works fine" is an opinion. You'll give up 4k, HDR, smoother video, facetime, smart home hub, dolby vision and spacial audio, siri remote, UI, etc. Add to that the proposed features of the next gen include faster chip for better performance and gaming, apple intelligence, wifi 7 for lower latency and faster streaming, potentially built in camera, and better pricing.

Agreed ... "works fine" can basically mean "it shows a picture on the screen" if one feature strips it down enough.