Sketchy Report Claims Apple Working on Redesigned Apple TV With Thinner Design and 'Plexiglass' Top

[NightFox]

iOS needs this in general

With the exception of Apple TV where it makes sense, I don't ever see profile support coming to iOS devices. I'd imagine being unable to properly share family devices is a driver for many houses having multiple iPads etc - that would be a lot of lost sales if Apple suddenly allowed profiles.

 

[DFP1989]

History is littered with two-tier gaming platforms that failed miserably. The formula for success in the console market is pretty simple, and just requires four things Apple can't do: superior graphics, lowest possible margins, a controller optimised for gaming, unmissable 1st party titles.

Xbox has two tiers, seems to be doing ok.

Not sure it would make sense for Apple TV though.

 

[TallManNY]

Yeah, wishing My Apple TV was smaller ain’t something that I do very often. And I’ve got four of them in active use. unless Apple leans into them as gaming machines, I’m not sure how much more they can do with them.

 

[Powerbooky]

A HDMI stick surely would be better?

Please no, I had that horrible Google thing and a prototype from a broadcaster. Just horrible. Always too big and too heavy breaking the HDMI plug of the TV itself. The last one I got, had some many cables attached to it (2 USB power cables, antennas), it looked like a big spider. Just not practical. The technology just isn't small enough yet.

The proportions of the appletv4k always felt wrong, but it was probably a necessity at the time - it's a given that it will become thinner again.

Its smaller than a DVD player, though.

The entire point of the black Apple TV is for it to disappear in the dark. We don't need a fancy redesign, just new features.

Indeed, but I wouldn't mind the next ATV with a M1 or M2 inside. Or at least with the latest Axx CPU/GPU inside.
Must say though that the two ATV 4K (2017) I have never felt slow at all. Compared to many other alternatives, its the only one that works so smooth and easy. Its the only TV box that everyone in my family learned and loved to use within the same week I hooked it up to the TV, never switched back to cable since then.

If the industry could do good one thing in collaboration with Apple, design a better version of a "common interface slot" in which the customer can insert their favorite media player card (an ATV4k card of course) and remove those crappy built-in players that hardly get good software support anyway.

 

[trash eighty]

"Horribly outdated and bulky'. Really?! The design is absolutely fine and is easy to hide/sit by a TV and looks good.

Yeah i bought one a few months ago i thought the design was really good, indeed i think they should use it for the basis for a Mac supermini lol

 

[2010mini]

How the ATV hardware looks is not even on the list of things users care about. What’s on the inside and the UI is top of the list.

 

[DFP1989]

Honestly... no hate for anyone who has and enjoys an AppleTV but... I can't help but feel like the AppleTV was a major missed opportunity and now just feels like a rudderless product that lacks vision or direction. IMHO It's time for Apple to either get serious and decide what they want to do with this or get out of this market.

Elaborating a bit, aside from bringing some iPhone gaming to the TV, it doesn't really do anything to differentiate itself from the multitude of other set top boxes out there and 90% of what it does can be done by a modern smart TV. Oh and its(relatively) expensive... This isn't like the Mac/iPod/iPhone/iPad/Apple Watch which revolutionized their respective industries, it's just an expensive (albeit a very nice and refined,) also ran...

I don’t disagree that it’s overpriced, but I’m prepared to pay it as it just works so well, and integrates brilliantly with my other devices. Have the Apple TV remote in control centre instantly makes the premium worth it.

The other thing is it lasts so damn long. I have an two original Apple TV HDs and one 4K, and can’t think of any reason to replace them anytime soon. I have no interest in gaming on them.

 

[uller6]

Honestly... no hate for anyone who has and enjoys an AppleTV but... I can't help but feel like the AppleTV was a major missed opportunity and now just feels like a rudderless product that lacks vision or direction. IMHO It's time for Apple to either get serious and decide what they want to do with this or get out of this market.

Elaborating a bit, aside from bringing some iPhone gaming to the TV, it doesn't really do anything to differentiate itself from the multitude of other set top boxes out there and 90% of what it does can be done by a modern smart TV. Oh and its(relatively) expensive... This isn't like the Mac/iPod/iPhone/iPad/Apple Watch which revolutionized their respective industries, it's just an expensive (albeit a very nice and refined,) also ran...

A cheap Hyundai or a nice BMW will both get you to the grocery store and back. Where’s the innovation? BMW should just stop making cars, there really isn’t any differentiator between them and other options on the market.

 

[BootsWalking]

Any sketch from the sketchy report? 🤪

 

[Orange Bat]

When I bought my 4K TV, I decided to upgrade from the standard Apple TV. However, I couldn’t justify spending the money on a 4K Apple TV, so I went with a Fire TV Cube. When it worked it was great. Good picture and easy interface. But it had minor frustrations that made it annoying. So I went with a Roku Ultra, and it’s great.

Apple’s problem is that it is selling a product where the competition is $90 cheaper. What the Apple TV offers over its competitors is relatively minor. Heck, a 4K Fire streaming stick is $35 right now. For a majority of people that’s all they need. (While my cube was frustrating, the Fire streaming stick I have on a second TV works fine.) I can’t imagine Apple is making any money on Apple TV at this point.

What Apple needs is a major re-thinking of its Apple TV. First, they should consider a pure streaming device. It doesn’t need to be a stick, but it should be a 4K streaming device. No games. Give us our favorite streaming apps, Fitness+, and Music for about $120 or so. Then sell a more advanced box that can do games for $200. In fact, think about a device with an M1 processor and encourage developers to make AAA games for the device. Finally, a HomePod with Apple TV built in. Perhaps a sound bar. I would gladly buy a good Apple SoundBar with Apple TV and Siri for $300 Or more.

Whatever they do, they desperately need to re-think their strategy.

 

[827538]

The design of the Apple TV is fine. It's powerful, stays cool, has built in ethernet (an absolute must for me), looks simple but not out of place. I just want Apple to keep regularly updating it every couple of years with improved I/O and chips. Best media watching device out there.

 

[somnolentsurfer]

With the exception of Apple TV where it makes sense, I don't ever see profile support coming to iOS devices. I'd imagine being unable to properly share family devices is a driver for many houses having multiple iPads etc - that would be a lot of lost sales if Apple suddenly allowed profiles.

This is reasonable for iPhones, but it's infuriating when it comes to iPads. It's expensive enough having to buy a separate phone for each child. It's a small percentage of households that can afford to be regularly replacing and updating multiple iPads as well.

 

[00sjsl]

I think of Apple TV as being a PS5 app.

 

[somnolentsurfer]

Another rumor in the report is about Apple working on a "Nintendo Switch style gaming console." The information is a regurgitation of previous rumors, claiming that Apple is working on a gaming console to advance its gaming portfolio. Today's rumor states that it will be Apple's take on a "premium hybrid gaming console" and will have performance that "will outperform anything that Microsoft or Sony offers in 2021."

Will outperform anything that Microsoft or Sony offers in 2021, but be released in 2024.

 

[arefbe]

Gotta love those "sketchy reports"!

 

[827538]

The current design is fine. Add a bit perfect digital audio output instead.

What? As in TOSLINK?

The only modern I/O needed is GbE and HDMI 2.1.

 

[Forti]

Just redesign this useless remote... the one who decided about the position of the play button should be fired

 

[citysnaps]

Looks like Jony Ive is back at apple. 😳🤦‍♂️😂

He continues to collaborate with Apple. Thankfully, in that regard, he never left.

 

[citysnaps]

Apple TV Pro -- Starting at $599

(Somehow, Gruber will defend the price...)

I guess it's fun to make stuff up to get reactions and forum cred. Pro tip: shoot for an even more outrageous $899.

 

[KindredMAC]

Apple just needs to offer a stripped down version of the AppleTV4K that doesn't play games and all that other nonsense in a stick format.
I would really love to know the actual numbers of how many people actually game on their AppleTVs. If I'm going to play a game with a controller I am turning my PS5 on, not using my PS5 to play a cell phone game on my 70" tv.
Apple needs to give up on the Apple Arcade on the TV platform.

 

[Marco Klobas]

What? As in TOSLINK?

The only modern I/O needed is GbE and HDMI 2.1.

TOSLNK, USB, GbE, HDMI ... whatever, as long as it gives a bit perfect output with automatic sample rate switching.

The same goes for the Music app (Audio MIDI Setup) on Mac.

 

[zone23]

I just wish Apple could make a remote that will work with my Apple TV and my LG TV like the one I bought on Amazon for 15$ does, oh well thanks for saving me money Apple!

 

[pauloregan]

Will there be another Apple TV box?

 

[theluggage]

The only modern I/O needed is GbE and HDMI 2.1.

Assuming you buy a complete new TV and sound system every couple of years.

Also, a secondary audio output is useful if you (say) wanted to play music through a proper hifi rather than a sound bar. I actually dug out my old 2nd gen ATV so I could stream music to my old-school hifi (using an optical to phono converter - so I’d prefer phones but other hifis have TOSLINK) because I prefer how that sounds for music c.f. a 5.1 system (also, because I wanted to mix stuff on several different speaker systems).

I guess there are HDMI-to-analogue audio converters, though.

Thing is, these may be niche uses, but things like TOSLINK or line out jacks are not hugely expensive to include, and Apple aren’t selling stuff at bargain basement prices.

 

[Juicy Box]

The report, citing "sources," claims that an Apple TV with a thinner and flatter design is in the works, eliminating the "horribly outdated and bulky" design of the current generation Apple TV.

The design is the last thing that needs to change about the Apple TV.

How about Apple paying a little more attention to tvOS?

Maybe Apple deciding what it should be? Do they want it to be a streaming box, or a casual gaming machine?

Right now, it is an overpowered, but overpriced streaming box, with the potential of being much more.

Developers are running from tvOS like crazy, one of the latest being the game RISK, which was on top of the charts for tvOS App Store, now abandoned by SMG Studio.

It is pretty sad at the decline of tvOS and the Apple TV.

Honestly... no hate for anyone who has and enjoys an AppleTV but... I can't help but feel like the AppleTV was a major missed opportunity and now just feels like a rudderless product that lacks vision or direction. IMHO It's time for Apple to either get serious and decide what they want to do with this or get out of this market.

You got it exactly.

I have purchased every Apple TV since the 1st gen, but not the latest Apple TV 4K, which is basically on par with the previous generation when it comes to performance. I am not getting rid of my current Apple TVs, but I don't think I am going to buy any new ones unless Apple starts showing it a little more love.

As for tvOS App Store purchases, it is really risky right now, as many of the apps that I have purchased or have made IAP for no longer work.

Other than streaming, tvOS is dying fast.

Family friendly content is literally the focus of Nintendo and they sell more hardware and software then anyone

While generally true, I remember Nintendo not being as strict with the Game Cube. One example is BMX XXX, allowing playable topless women characters and real footage of nude strippers, while Sony censored it on PS2.

I love that game.