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What to Expect From the Next Apple TV

The latest Apple TV 4K works just fine for me. If they really want to do something that would make it worth it for me besides the nice hardware upgrades, I've been wanting Safari browser or just the ability to use any browser on Apple TV forever. I would also like Facetime and Messages. Like someone up above said, the current Apple TV 4k is just two years old and works fine for me. Unless the new one lets us use a browser, I'll be passing.
 
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GioGiusi said:
If only every Apple TV user already had a wireless device that was perfect for this, and it was already built into tvOS...
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I'd rather not sacrifice the use of my phone and find a way of mounting it to my TV when we have these relatively cheap devices called "standalone webcams" that would work just fine
 
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Interpolating from the rumors of a new low-end MacBook floating around, I think at least one version of the AppleTV will feature an A18Pro with ~8GB of RAM. That puts it on par with the M1 (faster in single core) which seems to be where Apple wants the baseline to be moving forward with games and Apple Intelligence. If that rumor is true, it would also make sense for Apple to focus on A18Pro manufacturing and let M1 die off. We could also see Apple standardize on the A18 cores & NPU for other product lines like the Apple Watch and updated HomePods (with an updated S-series SoC)

An interesting (but not entirely likely given Apple's history) solution to the camera rumor would be to add a USB-C port. You could add a webcam, ethernet, or both (with a hub). I personally would love a smaller AppleTV w/o and internal power supply that I could power entirely through USB-C.

I also think for Apple Intelligence to really work in the home and rely primarily on local processing, it needs a "home base" that isn't an iPhone. The AppleTV and/or the rumored HomePod-with-screen seem like good solutions but they need some pretty serious compute power compared to the current TV and HomePod.
 
I love to see WiFi 7 and USB-C connected Camera accessory where I can do video conference on my living room large TV. Rest of the updates with new features; Apple knows the best.
 
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Hopefully Apple can focus on software - so they attract more games and developers to ATV and Apple Arcade. Add more languages to assistants so ATV can be really a home hub.
A UWB chip would also be great. HDMI 2.1 as well.
 
k1121j said:
So WiFi 7 and a new A series chip. I’m good with that, the current one is getting long in the tooth. I’m sure the next update will kill any remaing speed on the current model.
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I've got the current one as well and mine is perfectly fast. Same as on day one. Even the tvOS 26 Beta didn't slow it down.
 
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I hope they can improve Bluetooth performance. Most of these boxes are tucked behind flat screen TVs, and TV screen is a big blocker. Glitchy remote response, choppy sound on EarPods (I’m using PowerBeats Pro), Apple Watch pairing (for Apple Fitness), game controllers .. all get affected. I wish it could support an external antenna.
 
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I wonder if they'll release maybe two versions, one with an A-series chip at a cheaper price. Another with an M-series chip that's more gaming focussed and obviously more expensive.
 
bluespark said:
Exactly — the camera rumor always seemed bizarre to me for this reason. Everyone I know hides these in a cabinet. I have seven of them, and all seven TVs are wall-mounted with no visible cables or boxes. I’m not about to change that for the Apple TV.
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Can you use your apple TV to browse basic cable channels with an antenna hooked to the TV? I've thought about making an apple TV my main GUI on my tv because of how slow and laggy the actual tv is, but thought it would be cumbersome switching UI's if i wanted to watch some of the local channels.
 
So...respectfully...I can totally see a use for a camera here despite other commenters proclaiming how "absurd" it is. Personally I'd have no problem perching my ATV on top of my entertainment cabinet, with a clear line of site to the couch so the camera could see me. The wife and I have kids in other cities, and it would be great to be able to Facetime with them on the big screen without the awkwardness of the other person seeing what's coming through the phone camera in my hand. and, as for using a phone or iPad as a camera instead, well, I've tried that multiple times with my Mac Mini and the experience SUCKS. The camera never stays connected, sometimes it works only when plugged in, it needs to be on a charging cable...it's just not a very smooth experience. I would think a fixed, dedicated camera on the ATW would work quite well here, and it would likely to provide the "center stage" feature that iPads have where the camera moves to the person on the couch doing the speaking.

Additionally I would hope that the new model, if in fact it comes with a camera, also includes a USB-C port for a 3rd party camera for those of you with the ATV tucked away in a cabinet.
 
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routine_analyst said:
Don't most people have the box in a cabinet or behind a tv? Why would you put a camera on the front of it? Just give the option to connect a USB cable and camera.
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Because it's probably less than a $1 part, and some bean counter determined that the inclusion of a camera will increase the number of units sold to more than offset the cost of the camera.

Or they're going to try to make it an AI powered Kinect, and use the camera instead of a remote. I can see Apple doing that too.
 
I'd love to be able to connect with more than one non-Apple Bluetooth-enabled headphones at the same time. That being said, is it currently possible to connect both a BT controller and BT headphone to the AppleTV?
 
bondr006 said:
The latest Apple TV 4K works just fine for me. If they really want to do something that would make it worth it for me besides the nice hardware upgrades, I've been wanting Safari browser or just the ability to use any browser on Apple TV forever. I would also like Facetime and Messages. Like someone up above said, the current Apple TV 4k is just two years old and works fine for me. Unless the new one lets us use a browser, I'll be passing.
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How would you input information into such a browser or deal with scaling issues?
 
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IJustWannaTalk said:
How would you input information into such a browser or deal with scaling issues?
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The Atv has Bluetooth. I use a BT keyboard for input all the time. Apple could make the remote the pointing device for navigation or allow BT mice or trackpads. Pretty sure Apple knows how to deal with any said scaling issues.

Edit: The Atv also has voice for input. Another option for pointer and input would be an iPhone.
 
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bluespark said:
This. All I want is for my Apple TV to be able to export lossless audio. Bonus for high-res lossless audio.

Okay, one more thing: I’d also like to be able to easily use it as a streamer (lossless, of course) but control it from my phone so that I do not need to turn the TV on. None of this should involve AirPlay; rather, the ATV itself should pull and stream the lossless file.
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either an optical or a usb(c) port would make the pass through a lot simpler! HDMI splitters are a clunky and limiting.
 
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bondr006 said:
The Atv has Bluetooth. I use a BT keyboard for input all the time. Apple could make the remote the pointing device for navigation or allow BT mice or trackpads. Pretty sure Apple knows how to deal with any said scaling issues.

Edit: The Atv also has voice for input. Another option for pointer and input would be an iPhone.
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Feels like a browser would be hard to read from TV distance.
 
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@IJustWannaTalk

Here is the tv from where I sit on the couch. It’s about 17 feet and I can read the words fine. I am Air Playing from my iPhone. The photo is 1x. I know the picture is not that sharp but I was using my M1 iPad Pro to take the photo.

IMG_2340.jpeg
 
LOL!

I can't even read the text on the TV when I zoom in on your photo! 😂

P.S. Just kidding. I realize that the problem is with the photo's resolution not your set-up…

Safari on the big screen is pretty amazing!
 
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Now, I just discovered that when I Airplay from my iPad, Safari is hard for me to read from the couch. The iPhone airplay fills the tv screen much better and displays larger font and is very readable from the couch. The iPad has black bars on the sides which doesn’t fully take advantage of the tv’s real estate.

When you put the two side by side, you can really see how much easier it is to read the text as airplayed with the iPhone. Believe me, the difference is very marked when seeing it in person. With the iPhone I can read from the couch with no problems. With the iPad, I really have to squint my 65 year old eyes. If they could get Safari on the Atv to look like what iPhone air-playing does, I’d be all set.

Edit: I just noticed there’s a bit of a difference between the 1x setting on the two cameras. Why?

IMG_2509.jpeg
IMG_2340.jpeg
 
Not sure I see the need over the current version. Current wifi and ethernet is plenty fast for 4k streaming. The OS is overall very fluid. Maybe gamers would see a benefit from the CPU bump. But who really relies on an Apple TV for gaming tbh?

Will see when it gets there I suppose.
 
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