Waiting for the 2021 Apple TV

[SW3029]

I'm surprised that Apple hasn't announced a new ATV in 2020. But I suspect they might be putting it off to be timed with an AirTags and Apple Arcade controller launch.

I still have the ATV HD. I want a 4K one so bad, but I can't justify the high cost of the device now with a new ATV likely coming in the next 6 months.

I suspect the big upgrades to it will likely be an A13 or A14 chipset, Apple game controller, HDMI 2.1, WiFi 6, and most importantly, a U1 chip.

 

[JBaby]

Would anyone buy a 4K refurb now if it was $40 off? Or hold out another 5 months and hope they roll out one in March?

Historically only the first and third generations weren’t introduced in September.

My Gen 3 is on its last breath so I reluctantly jumped on a 64GB 4K that's on the Canadian refurb store - there are several if anyone is interested. It was $40 off.

Given my region will probably be under full lockdown again soon, it's going to be a long winter. Doubtful my Gen 3 was going to last until the spring when/if a new model rolls out. If it's a major upgrade, I'll scoop it up and sell the 4K.

Just disappointed Apple held off releasing off this year when rumours started back in January of the new one.

Not true. Rumors about a new tv have been floating for years now.

 

[TVreporter]

Historically only the first and third generations weren’t introduced in September.



Not true. Rumors about a new tv have been floating for years now.

Yes but new code was discovered back in January and several leakers in March said it was ready to ship but nothing materialized.

 

[addictive]

Yes but new code was discovered back in January and several leakers in March said it was ready to ship but nothing materialized.

I believe in the code discovered in leaks. One of the leaks about a future Apple TV mentioned iOS14 so I think we'll definitely see it before iOS15 is released. I tend not to trust leakers, yes sometimes they are correct but more often they're wrong.

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg who seems to be the most accurate reporter of Apple news and has new product information fed to him from Apple HQ. Gurman said a couple of months ago that no new Apple TV until 2021.

I think there will be a new Apple TV in March/April next year with a new remote and probably at the same time as the air tags.

 

[Blair Paulsen]

IMO, ATV needs to morph into a server/home media center/smart home master appliance. That said, where is the best value proposition for such a device? Is there are market if it's in the M1 MacMini price bracket?

I can't see any real opportunity in the low end where commodity HDMI streaming sticks and discount Smart TVs are "good enough" for most consumers. The current "middle ground" $200 ATV4 appeals to a cohort of critical users, but a Roku for 1/3 the cost is a more attractive value proposition for most folks with older (dumb) displays or poorly implemented "Smart" features.

It's one thing to conceptualize a "Home Base" device that provides resources, interfaces and global control of everything from your TV to your IoT infrastructure. It could be based on a M1 Mini but with a form factor that had room for lots more ports. The issue is price point; many of us on this board would pay $1,000 for the right set of features, but how big is that market segment?

Perhaps Apple will see enough upside from selling services to cut their margin on a ATV/Media Center device and sell it for under $500 - but that isn't their MO.

 

[addictive]

I wonder if Apple is considering doing to Apple TV what it has done to HomePod. At first release a new high end model and then at a later date release a cheaper, lower end model which still functions very well like the HomePod Mini.

Apple wants to drive consumers to Apple Arcade as well as it's other services but there must be a huge number of Apple TV users that never use the games at all and never will. They just want a simple Apple TV streaming box.

I still think the medium term game is to for multiple HomePods to be connected to the Apple TV to create a surround sound system. I wonder if Apple could release a software upgrade to do that in the near term.

 

[cjbryce]

I still think the medium term game is to for multiple HomePods to be connected to the Apple TV to create a surround sound system. I wonder if Apple could release a software upgrade to do that in the near term.

I really, really hope so. But to work properly the ATV itself would have to have source inputs e.g. cable boxes, consoles, Blu-ray player, TV tuner.

 

[boltjames]

My Apple TV has been relegated to a) act as a way to bring Apple Music to my living room in conjunction with my HomePod's sprinkled throughout the house and b) a way to bring my Home Movies to my primary TV.

Everything else Apple TV does I get in the features in my Smart TV's. YouTube, Netflix, Prime, etc. I'm waiting for the day that all the features of the Apple TV puck are available as an app on my Sony TV's so I don't need the puck anymore. And I hate the remote.

 

[MiamiC70]

IMO, ATV needs to morph into a server/home media center/smart home master appliance. That said, where is the best value proposition for such a device? Is there are market if it's in the M1 MacMini price bracket?

I can't see any real opportunity in the low end where commodity HDMI streaming sticks and discount Smart TVs are "good enough" for most consumers. The current "middle ground" $200 ATV4 appeals to a cohort of critical users, but a Roku for 1/3 the cost is a more attractive value proposition for most folks with older (dumb) displays or poorly implemented "Smart" features.

It's one thing to conceptualize a "Home Base" device that provides resources, interfaces and global control of everything from your TV to your IoT infrastructure. It could be based on a M1 Mini but with a form factor that had room for lots more ports. The issue is price point; many of us on this board would pay $1,000 for the right set of features, but how big is that market segment?

Perhaps Apple will see enough upside from selling services to cut their margin on a ATV/Media Center device and sell it for under $500 - but that isn't their MO.

So, an Apple mini server running something like OSX server like the one from 2012 timmy in his infinite wisdom **** canned.

 

[Tricky22]

Depends if they want to join the console wars, and with apple one they might.

I am hanging on..

 

[DTphonehome]

The current ATV 4K is a fine device. But it could use updates to bring it up to "speed" so to speak.

• Faster processor. Apple Arcade games can lag, an A14 would be welcome.
• WiFi 6. I find that I do get delays and buffering even on a fast AC network
• New remote. The current one sucks. Would be nice if it had wireless charging and AirTag functionality so it doesn't always get lost.
• Latest HDMI spec to ensure future compatibility with upcoming TVs (including 8K sets)
• Lower price ($129-149).

I think the delay is due to AirTags. They could be saving the ATV for that event, as the remote with AirTag would be a really good selling point and use case for AirTags.

 

[Juicy Box]

The current ATV 4K is a fine device. But it could use updates to bring it up to "speed" so to speak.

• Faster processor. Apple Arcade games can lag, an A14 would be welcome.
• WiFi 6. I find that I do get delays and buffering even on a fast AC network
• New remote. The current one sucks. Would be nice if it had wireless charging and AirTag functionality so it doesn't always get lost.
• Latest HDMI spec to ensure future compatibility with upcoming TVs (including 8K sets)
• Lower price ($129-149).

I think the delay is due to AirTags. They could be saving the ATV for that event, as the remote with AirTag would be a really good selling point and use case for AirTags.

I would love a larger storage size option, at least 128GB, but even larger would be nice.

 

[upandown]

How about being able to play 24fps content without frame skipping.

 

[dmaxdmax]

I have an HD and instead of buying 3 year old hardware I bought a firestick as a stop gap. It doesn't stink and will suffice until a new apple releases.

 

[MiamiC70]

The current ATV 4K is a fine device. But it could use updates to bring it up to "speed" so to speak.

• Faster processor. Apple Arcade games can lag, an A14 would be welcome.
• WiFi 6. I find that I do get delays and buffering even on a fast AC network
• New remote. The current one sucks. Would be nice if it had wireless charging and AirTag functionality so it doesn't always get lost.
• Latest HDMI spec to ensure future compatibility with upcoming TVs (including 8K sets)
• Lower price ($129-149).

I think the delay is due to AirTags. They could be saving the ATV for that event, as the remote with AirTag would be a really good selling point and use case for AirTags.

Good answers.
In my reply I forgot

WiFi 6
New Remote! (current one sucks)