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NewToAMBP

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 3, 2023
25
10
Hi All,

My Dad is at the point now of where he wants to get an Apple TV for each TV in the home. (4 total). He is the type though who hates to buy something new and then a tad later a newer upgraded version is released. Does anyone know or think a new Apple TV will be released this year? He doesnt mind paying full price as when he gets something he just wants the newest and best. His opinion is if this one has a A15 chip and the newest iPad normal has a A14, he thinks it is probably not going to get an update as its just an Apple TV, but if one does get relased newer and better he wont stop thinking about it and be upset. Hes only looking at the 128GB one since it has eithernet.

Any input is much appreciated.
 
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No, it’ll be several years before Apple updates the model.

if nobody posts anything contradictory to the above, you can tell him everyone said the above and to go for it.

You have absolutely no way of knowing that. Nobody does. Whilst it is unlikely a new update will come out this year, it is more than possible a new one will be out in 2025.

To the OP, my opinion, go for the best you can get And stop worrying about things you cannot control.
 
Well there's the Buyer's guide https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Apple_TV
according to which apparently it can be between a week and two years until the next model is released lol.

We can't know so the only definitive info at the moment is the trade-in credit you can get in your country for the latest Apple TVs. So in case your dad buys 4 units and then a month later a new model launches, at least you can have an idea of how much of that money you can get back towards buying another set of 4 updated units (and given the age of the current model, you would get more for sure). Given the price of the TVs and the fact it would bother him so much, it may be an option to jump to the new models via trade-in.
 
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Rumours are the next ATV will have an Mx chip, likely M3 since it has ray tracing, for gaming.
If Apple goes that far for gaming, then they are going to have to also increase the storage of the device to at least 500gb. The price increase will put it in the range of the base Mac Mini, if not more.
This might cause some confusion. A PC that does fine everyday tasks just fine, but not great for gaming. Or a dedicated gaming device with no emphasis on productivity.

Also, after a long break, Apple seemed to be on every other year track with Apple Tv releases again, but I am thinking that got de-railed this year by the Vision Pro. Either Apple was too busy, maybe having the Apple Tv Team working on that or they figured an Apple Tv release would seem like an underwhelming launch in comparison. I expect 2025 for the next one.
 
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Rumors are that there will be a new A16 or A17 Apple TV in the first half of this year. I.E. in the next three to four months... Take it as you will. I am waiting to replace one.
 
Rumours are the next ATV will have an Mx chip, likely M3 since it has ray tracing, for gaming.

I wouldn't hold my breath for a major shake-up. The vast majority of people gaming on TV screens are using consoles. And Apple has shown 0% interest in taking on the console market - they're just comfy with continuing to rake in their massive casual gaming profits. A real gaming Apple TV would need to come with controllers and AAA titles.

As for the OP's question, I would say the latest model will be fine for his dad. Given that his dad is obviously into tech gear, if, by chance, Apple does release a new ATV model this year, the $150 or whatever will not be a huge deal (as opposed to say, the pain of buying a MacBook Pro right before a new model comes out.)
 
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Thank you everyone for the input. I went over everything that was said above with him and he decided to go ahead with the idea and to get 4 of them as he has no plans of playing games, just watching TV apps. They should be delivered next week! [I did tell him though that if a new one does get released that I would be more than happy to take the then "old ones" off his hands and he can upgrade! :p]

Also, he bought them from Sams Club, and he saw the 64GB models on sale for $99.00 and got the 128GB ones for $139.00.

Does anyone have input if he should get AppleCare for them? He uses surge protectors but is worried my Mom will maybe get the remote stuck in a chair or couch and hurt it.
 
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Does anyone have input if he should get AppleCare for them? He uses surge protectors but is worried my Mom will maybe get the remote stuck in a chair or couch and hurt it.
I would get some silicone cases for the remotes as the aluminum is quite slippery on furniture.
 
Thank you everyone for the input. I went over everything that was said above with him and he decided to go ahead with the idea and to get 4 of them as he has no plans of playing games, just watching TV apps. They should be delivered next week! [I did tell him though that if a new one does get released that I would be more than happy to take the then "old ones" off his hands and he can upgrade! :p]

Also, he bought them from Sams Club, and he saw the 64GB models on sale for $99.00 and got the 128GB ones for $139.00.

Does anyone have input if he should get AppleCare for them? He uses surge protectors but is worried my Mom will maybe get the remote stuck in a chair or couch and hurt it.
I have had every iteration of the Apple TV starting with the second model released. That must be about 9 models, but I lost count. I have never had a problem with a single model. Even the one refurb I bought worked perfectly fine. One can argue however that may be because I got a new model about every 2 years on average. I have a feeling Apple Care may run out before anything happens to the Apple Tv. But if it's cheap enough and your dad wants peace of mind go for it.
 
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Does anyone have input if he should get AppleCare for them? He uses surge protectors but is worried my Mom will maybe get the remote stuck in a chair or couch and hurt it.

They're solid state devices. Odds are they won't go bad- especially with his surge protectors in place.

I'd say skip the AppleCare. Note that even if Mom somehow damages the remote, AppleTV can learn ANY other remote. I've been a user since GEN 1 and pretty much do not use the Apple remotes at all. Instead, I use tvOS to "learn" a more traditional remote and it controls AppleTV.

Furthermore, if they have iDevices, the AppleTV remote is virtualized within them... so their phones or iPads can also be used as an AppleTV remote. Teach Mom to use her phone or tablet remote.

If that AppleCare money is burning a hole in the pocket, consider replacing surge protectors with battery backups from Cyberpower or APC or similar. Those take care of power surges AND outages.
 
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Thank you everyone for the input. I went over everything that was said above with him and he decided to go ahead with the idea and to get 4 of them as he has no plans of playing games, just watching TV apps. They should be delivered next week! [I did tell him though that if a new one does get released that I would be more than happy to take the then "old ones" off his hands and he can upgrade! :p]

Also, he bought them from Sams Club, and he saw the 64GB models on sale for $99.00 and got the 128GB ones for $139.00.

Does anyone have input if he should get AppleCare for them? He uses surge protectors but is worried my Mom will maybe get the remote stuck in a chair or couch and hurt it.
Tell him to get Apple Care for one Apple TV.

That way, if one of the remotes breaks, it was "obviously" for the one Apple TV he got the Apple Care for ;)
 
Well my Dad reached out to me toady to ask me a question about his Apple TV's and I am no expert so I thought I would reach out to you all.

He wants the opinion of if he should sell his 3 out of 4 of his Apple TV's? He will just take the one left and move it room to room or just stick to the living room as much as possible. He figures if there is going to be an update sooner than later then now would be the time to try to hawk them and then use that money to upgrade to the newer ones if released. Any one have any input?
 
Of course no one outside of Apple knows anything for certain but lots of people are speculating about a likely release of a new model this year. The latest one came out in late 2022 so a processor bump at the very least is to be expect this year. Make of this what you will
 
Why would he upgrade to the theoretical new model? I think it's been established that he doesn't care about gaming so I can't see any obvious new feature set beyond potentially Apple Intelligence. He's already had a year of life out of the A15 models so his fear of buying just before a new model is released has not come to pass. The 10 year old Apple TV HD with an A8 chip is still getting updates, so I don't think there's any issue with A15 models loosing support anytime in the next 3-5 years.

The fact that your Dad was able to splash out on an Apple TV for each television suggests he's not short of money and so his suggestion to alter his lifestyle for the next 3-4 months (physically disconnecting an Apple TV to move it around the house or constrain himself to a single room) in order to maybe save $25-50 seems like a bigger conversation to have with him.
 
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