It’s been a fair amount of time since Apple updated the Apple TV, and there were rumors 2020 could be the year it finally happened. But that didn’t turn out to be the case.
But as Apple introduces more services, like Apple Arcade, the Apple TV’s stretch of old hardware becomes far more apparent. It’s about time the company updates the set-top box. Now, Nikkei Asia Review reports that we may be closer to a launch — but it won’t be in 2020.
According to the publication, based on information shared by unnamed sources, Apple is working on a new Apple TV set-top box the company plans to release some time in 2021. The new Apple TV is mentioned as you might expect: the last line in a paragraph mentioning other products, including updates for the MacBook Pro and and iMac Pro — both of which will probably be updated in 2021, too.
Here’s the full quote:
Apple is also preparing an aggressive production schedule for its high-end computers, including the MacBook Pro and iMac Pro, for 2021, two other people familiar with the matter said. The company is in the midst of replacing Intel central processors in its computer lineups with self-designed CPUs built using technology from British chip designer Arm. Apple already introduced three MacBook models powered by its M1 central processor in late 2020 and announced it will take about two years to fully transition to CPUs designed in-house. The U.S. tech giant is also working on a new Apple TV, a home entertainment device for video-on-demand services, for next year, one of the people said.
And that’s it! Not much to go on, unfortunately. We don’t even have a potential release window. Apple could use next year’s Worldwide Developers Conference to talk up some major new features for tvOS, which could be a big hint of a hardware update, too. Or maybe they’ll just launch the new set-top box along with a press release in the beginning of the year and call it good.
But it feels inevitable at this point. Rumors of a new Apple TV have been circulating for quite some time now — even as far back as February of this year, when tvOS 13.4’s beta hinted at new hardware. But Apple didn’t get around to launching the new set-top box in 2020, so the wait continues.
As far as what to expect? A new Apple TV would probably introduce a new remote of some kind, boast higher storage options, and boast one of Apple’s more powerful A-series processors under the hood. As far as features go, though, that remains a bigger mystery at this point.
Are you planning to upgrade to a new Apple TV whenever Apple actually launches one?