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New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Remain 'Ready' to Launch
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WarmWinterHat
Suspended
I doubt it. Apple very rarely does hardware launches at WWDC, unless it hardware specifically related to development.
Icehawk
macrumors regular
I do not get, at all, holding the AppleTV up. Homepod, sure. Unless they're going to come out with like door bell cams or something where the TV will play the HUD for it? So not happening but Siri isn't a selling point for the AppleTV. No one I know who has one uses it. We have our apps. We go to our apps. *shrug*
klasma
macrumors G4
klasma
macrumors G4
Due to their function as Home hubs, Apple doesn't want to make them untetherable. A portable speaker would have to be a different product.
The standard HomePod was noted as having reduced inventory, but no mention of a new release and what it might entail. I have no interest in the Mini ( the sound quality is too poor for me), but I am interested to see if the HomePod (which I find to sound quite good) has any future with Apple. I suspect I may be forced into Sonos more than I am at the moment for my mid fi music distribution in the house. I would love a HomePod that does not just rely on Airplay for music sourcing (BT with a decent codec, lossless streaming and a direct wired connection would be perfect, just like Sonos).
Apple TV is something I'm fine with having no updates for years, because to be real, how much have streaming video standards changed in the past couple of years?
SactoGuy18
macrumors 603
I think Apple will roll out the new Apple TV box and the HomdPod mini speaker shortly after iOS 26.4/iPadOS 26.4 and tvOS 26.4 is released, which might be this coming week.
But he actually is a time traveller. Recently I read an article on Cnet published in november 2032 where he shows all his time travelling gear and all the tech he has in his shuttle !
I just cant think of a reason to upgrade my ATV4K. Great PQ and fast as hell. I'm thinking it'd be more of a AirPod Max 1 -2 jump.
Wifi 7? Apple Intelligence. None of that is a needle mover.
Wifi 7? Apple Intelligence. None of that is a needle mover.
andreagrandi
macrumors regular
Part of it is Apple's slow adoption of standards in the silicon. Apple Silicon didn't get AV1 decoding until A17Pro in 2023. So an AppleTV update to at least 17Pro would be moving up to what some large streamers are delivering a large amount of content on. ( there is enough silicon horsepower in an AppleTV to get away with software decoders, but that is using a lot more power for no good reason given the standard is so old at this point. )
Likely part of that was trying to push more folks into H.265 solutions ( that cost more , I think Apple gets a 'cut' of the royalty action. They have to pay and receive money , but the latter means they pay net less money. ) .
AV2 should start to roll out in 2027 time frame ( standard finalize this year 2026). Apple will likely be late to the game on that also.
I would bet they will quickly launch a new one after the A17 Pro version with A19 or A18 Pro after one or two years. The main reason for the delay is the Siri/Apple Intelligence since it will be the only noteworthy feature. Since Apple tries to get costs down for AppleTV due to heavy competition in this market, there won't be any room for big improvements except for a chip upgrade. It all depends on how many A17 Pro chips are still left. For Apple, it is cheaper to use existing quantities of newer chips than to have the A17 Pro manufactured again.
BorisDG
macrumors 6502a
Putting the S9/S10 chip in the HomePod mini isn't a great move, especially since Apple wants to bring Apple Intelligence to all of it's devices. Given how rarely they update the HomePod, they should definitely use something more powerful, like the A17 Pro or A18. Even a binned version would work, since you don't really need GPU cores in a smart speaker. The S9/S10 just won't have the CPU power or RAM required for Apple Intelligence.
They can easily do the same thing the Amazon Echo products do... ship the request off the 'cloud'.
If local 'heavy compute' Apple Home Hub then ship there ( e.g., AppleTV , "HomePad" ** ) with Apple avoiding the overhead or off to Apple Private Cloud Compute (PCC). [ Recent rumor said that PCC nodes were running at 10% utilization. which is ridiculously low ]
There are way less HomePods than there are Echoes out there. The load wouldn't crazy high just for those.
Similarly, that could attach to a phone. ( If have voice ID then pick the phone of the person asking the question. )
** The bigger "HomePad" with a screen likely has something better than an Apple Watch SoC inside. Not everyone would have one, but it would be a 'value add' feature to add one to your local house network if shift the 'hub' work off the HomePods and onto that is more capable server.
canhaz
macrumors 6502
True. That said my gf and I had fun doing a bit of light weight light living room gaming 😁
211
macrumors 6502
Holding these devices back doesn’t make any sense. Why not release them now, with the software currently available, then make a big song and dance with a software upgrade for the improved Siri? I know quite a few people waiting for a new tv and have heard rumors of this new one for ages.
I don’t understand why a spec bump, which it basically is, is held back for a software release. Unless it can do more, like make the HomePod mini speakers act like surround sound speakers, which I have been hoping for years
I don’t understand why a spec bump, which it basically is, is held back for a software release. Unless it can do more, like make the HomePod mini speakers act like surround sound speakers, which I have been hoping for years
It is not as much 'get rid of others' and they need to 'have me down' these SoCs from newer systems that updated their. So Apple Watch SE 2 moves on from S9 ( SE3 moves up to S10 which got handed down from Watch 10 )
It is newer stuff coming in often from the leading edge that pushes 'hand me own" action for the products that scoop those technically older SoC and present them in a 'new' system.
Similar A17 Pro ... iPhone Pro --> iPad Mini --> (reportedly ) Apple TV .
Or entry Mac / iPad Pro -> iPad Air
At this point the Axx Pro chips are a different sized die that those chip used in the 'plain' iPhone. If Apple didn't have another placement for those chips they would just fall off a cliff after a year. The chip costs to much develop to simply throw into the trash can after only 12 months. ( the regular iPhone would be sold for 2-3 more years in addition to 'hand me down' systems )
Don't have to get rid of them as much as collect more money to cover the development costs. Makes them cheaper to make. Older fab processes also get discounts over time.
Apple does relatively precise inventory controls. If they make too many then just slow down the die making process over time. The only 'get rid of' is probably for the Studio Displays where those A19/A19 Pro are likely too defective to use in a regular system but happen to work good enough to run a camera and a speaker (i.e. can have a defective display controllers since in that context it has no 'display' duties ). The number of displays is likely so low (because so high priced ) that could just pick those SoCs mostly out of the 'throw away' defect pile with much fewer fully capable dies used.
AppleTV's SoC could be binned down also in performance. Again collected the stuff that would have been 'trashed' over a long time and use a mix of those plus full ones to complete to unit fill rate. ( probably higher units than displays. In the 2-5M range versus likely substantially less than 1M ). But this is mostly just continued production of older SoC that has been 'paid for'.
Yeah, and I'm sure my dad will be right back from going out to get smokes and a quart of milk for us.
For a doorbell camera? Probably not.
'iSight' is probably a bad selection for a candidate product class name. More like "Apple Security Cam" or "Apple Security Doorcam". ( Maybe "Apple Door Sight" or "Apple Security Sight" ) It almost certainly will not begin with an 'i'. The i-product era is long past gone.
Since it likely will be wireless , it pretty much will fall into the category of being independent.
(Apple's 'war' on wires also eliminates wired mice, keyboards, trackpads , etc. )
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I don't see why they can't just add a USB-C port and let you add your own webcam.
Remember, Gurman’s been caught making up things before. Things that only he/Bloomberg report. If they remain “Ready” to launch, that would imply that they’re sitting in a warehouse somewhere in enough quantities to ship. Manufactured, packaged and sitting in boxes and the only person that knows is Gurman?
Then, remember, someone that KNOWS these are ready to launch didn’t know the AirPods Max were ready to launch just a short time ago? Yeahhh, nooo. 😀
Then, remember, someone that KNOWS these are ready to launch didn’t know the AirPods Max were ready to launch just a short time ago? Yeahhh, nooo. 😀