8K
AAA games
Airtagged remote
USB powered
Built in zigbee and zwave
(none if these are on the winning bingo card lol)
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New Apple TV model
- Thread starter gadget123
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AAA games
Airtagged remote
USB powered
Built in zigbee and zwave
(none if these are on the winning bingo card lol)
Pretty much none of those are happening except Apple Intelligence and the N1 chip.
Built into a 5.1.2 Soundbar. Home Pods can be added to make it 7.1.2/4 plus a subwoofer called Newton.
thejadedmonkey
macrumors G3
I've been waiting almost 6 months at this point for a new Apple TV and 2 Homepod Mini's for my kids. I don't particularly care if they're running the old software, I just refuse to buy 4 year old hardware on principle.
Every Apple TV 4K has been released with "old hardware" and each time it has been the most powerful tv mainstream streaming device on the market.
kiranmk2
macrumors 68020
Apple Intelligence, N1 chip with all that brings, 8 GB RAM is likely your limit for the announcement. 256 GB model at a push as the higher end SKU.
Airtagged remote might be here now UWB2 is becoming available on more accessories, but they've held out this long...
DV2 may come as a software update (I'm of the opinion that only the display needs a chip to play it back, the Apple TV just needs the software to pass on the flag). There's also no TVs on sale yet that support it (and not many in the 2026 lineup that will)
I would love a new model to be USB-C powered (the 2021 model had a PSU outputting just 13 W), but is that too much design for Apple for a lower selling product? If they are positioning the AppleTV as one of the Apple Home hubs then it would make sense for zigbee & zwave to be build in (along with thread in all models), but Apple may save this for the dedicated Hub device.
A19 era chips are unlikely (remember, this thing has been "ready to launch" for about 6 months suggesting it will have an A17Pro or A18 chip).
HDMI 2.2 is unlikely as I don't even think Apple supports the HDMI 2.1 48 Gbps bandwidth yet and there is no reason a device connected to a 4K display will need more than 4k120.
8K is dead - all manufacturers except Samsung and Panasonic have removed their 8k sets from sale, so even the display makers realise it's a dead duck.
Facetime camera won't be built-in - at best there will be a dedicated continuity camera accessory available that can be used with all Apple devices, but even this is unlikely
AAA games are not coming - The A17Pro and A18 don't have the grunt to run them at a decent frame rate/pacing - go back and look at the reviews of RE:Village, RE:4 & Death Stranding on the iPhone 15 Pro
Yeah. I’m curious to know the hardware requirements for DV2. They’ll want to make it as future proof as possible. DV2 alone may have tossed a wrench into things. The max version requires ambient light measurement.
kiranmk2
macrumors 68020
My 2020 LG OLED had an ambient light sensor for Dolby Vision IQ support. If anything, I would assume a new chip is needed for the variable motion smoothing although the cynic in me thinks it could just be because Dolby have stipulated manufacturers need to buy a new chip
Le Big Mac
macrumors 68030
So I'm assuming PP means they won't buy originally old hardware that is now even 4 years older.
One would assume an AppleTV with similar SoC to an iPhone 15 Pro would perform significantly better given the far easier thermal management in an AppleTV vs an iPhone, and no need to worry about power draw/battery life.
Theoretically an AppleTV should outperform a PS4 now.
however good it is i still think the 3 year old chip from 2023 in a 2026 device is a bit of an insult
i do appreciate its still going to be market leading, but imaging what the A19 or A19 Pro could achieve
A17 Pro in a HDMI Stick sounds more acceptable but I'd still want something that uses less power (A18 Pro).
i do appreciate its still going to be market leading, but imaging what the A19 or A19 Pro could achieve
A17 Pro in a HDMI Stick sounds more acceptable but I'd still want something that uses less power (A18 Pro).
Count Blah
macrumors 68040
I’m in same exact boat. At this point, it’s principle. I refuse to reward Apple for not updating a product for 4 years. I’ve done this with several family Mac Mini purchases. Had to wait a VERY long time for updates to ancient products.
The problem is that 4year old Apple Streaming products are still going to be better than the newest Roku, Amazon, Google etc.
It’s unfortunate that Apple doesn’t have adequate competition & complacency seems to be it’s default position.
I hope I’m wrong so much.
Benz63amg
macrumors 601
Even the interface of the streaming services on the latest 2025 LG OLEDs is absolute ******* compared the Apple TV 4K's interface. It's not even comparable, the Apple TV is in a league of its own. I need a new Apple TV 4k for another room in the house, do you guys think i should just get one or wait until the upcoming apple event to see if they announce a new Apple TV?
For the sake of 10 days personally I'd wait, or if you don't want to wait even another day then another option could always be to get an existing model - directly from Apple or from some other seller with a rock-solid no-questions-asked return policy - and if Apple does announce something at the "experience", or by press release in the days beforehand, you then have the option of returning your recently purchased unit for a refund and using the money to buy the updated model.
If you go with the second option though, one risk to factor in is that Apple doesn't always start shipments immediately after the event so if your return window closes before the updated model starts shipping you'd need to decide to either hang on to the previous generation that you'd just bought or return it and then be without the additional ATV that you want until you can get hold of the updated model.
Benz63amg
macrumors 601
Ill just wait until the event. I need an ATV for another room in the house but its not an immediate neccesity
QuarterSwede
macrumors G4
Yep, this is definitely a trend here.
I’m finally ready to replace my ATVHD since the Bluetooth chip is flakey now (wife uses this one for Fitness+) and doesn’t always connect to her Apple Watch. We tend to buy the newest one and then put it on our most used TV and/or theater depending on what tech is in it. We then rotate the ATVs till the oldest gets used for the fitness role (also our bedroom ATV).
Definitely not buying one now. I’ll wait. Even if it dies I’ll use the theater ATV in the meantime if I have to since that’s the least used ATV we have (and also gets used for traveling). We’re way too close to the event. I’m not holding my breath that they’ll release a new one but you never know. I would LOVE a more portable one though.
On the bright side of not having an annual hardware iteration, from a value perspective the AppleTV has been great.
Not needing to upgrade your streaming box for years while still maintaining a satisfactory experience has made the AppleTV worth every penny of the asking price.
Do we really want to support an iPhone-esque upgrade and support model for the cheap, purpose build AppleTV? I'm grateful the old ones I use for extra displays from even 2015 still do the job and are supported by the latest software.
I for one am OK with a 5 year hw cadence for the ATV!
Not needing to upgrade your streaming box for years while still maintaining a satisfactory experience has made the AppleTV worth every penny of the asking price.
Do we really want to support an iPhone-esque upgrade and support model for the cheap, purpose build AppleTV? I'm grateful the old ones I use for extra displays from even 2015 still do the job and are supported by the latest software.
I for one am OK with a 5 year hw cadence for the ATV!
As someone who is still managing with a 10 year old HD version, I’m coming from a place where I just want a superior TV interface. I’ll probably be annoyed by Apple Intelligence or AI suggestions. So I think I’ll bite the bullet on the latest 4K version after the March announcement- I’ll probably do everything I need it to for the next 10 years at least.
It feels like there's no Apple TV 4K coming any time soon as Apple Intelligence just isn't there yet. Perhaps late 2026 or 2027.
I struggle to think of any AI integration that would actually enhance the TV experience, but we will see. Perhaps the AI generated playlists in the Music app will come to tvOS? ...My expectations are low right now.
I struggle to think of any AI integration that would actually enhance the TV experience, but we will see. Perhaps the AI generated playlists in the Music app will come to tvOS? ...My expectations are low right now.
It takes Apple a while to cobble together new AppleTV's from parts out of the scrap bin.
Seriously though, it's a product built around maximizing SoC yield profits. It's at the bottom of the list for any binned SoC and shares other parts and designs from other Apple products.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great product but I think there is a high likelihood for disappointment if too much hype is built up around its next generation.
Seriously though, it's a product built around maximizing SoC yield profits. It's at the bottom of the list for any binned SoC and shares other parts and designs from other Apple products.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great product but I think there is a high likelihood for disappointment if too much hype is built up around its next generation.
dwrufus53
macrumors 6502a
It's already a huge disappointment , given that it's been 3½ years since it's been updated. It's still just a hobby to Apple, albeit one with a lucrative subscription attached. That's pretty ironic, actually.