Apple launched a lot of products in 2020, but the only thing that never saw the light of day was a new version of Apple TV 4K. But from the sound of things, it may still be in the works for a 2021 launch.
That conforms Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, which claims that a new Apple TV will also come with a major update to help Apple compete with the best streaming devices from Roku, Amazon and Google. In particular, these updates are intended to include a much improved remote control and a gaming accent.
According to Gurman, who is known to be reliable with his leaks and predictions, the new Apple TV will come with a new chip, which will replace the A10X Fusion in the current Apple TV 4K. The new one will probably run on a variant of the new A14 Bionic.
Gurman also says that a new remote control is coming for the next Apple TV 4K, which is definitely needed. While the current Siri remote from Apple TV 4K was an improvement over its predecessor, the strange design of the touchpad is still naughty and doesn’t work very well. That’s the only thing Apple TV 4K does badly.
The last time Apple refreshed the Apple TV range was back in September 2017, when it launched Apple TV 4K. No matter how well received that device was, an update is due. This is especially true because the cheapest version, with 32 GB of storage, still costs $ 179.
Gurman pointed out that the lack of a new model could also affect Apple’s streaming ambitions, as Apple TV is the obvious portal to encourage people to subscribe to Apple TV Plus. Even if the service is available on several other platforms.
Meanwhile, competition is more aggressive with hardware upgrades. Amazon launches a new Fire TV device every year and uses it to push people to Prime Video. Roku and Google also periodically refresh their hardware. It also helps that the most expensive models of all three companies (69-130 USD, depending on the company) are still significantly cheaper than the cheapest Apple TV Apple HD of 149 USD.
Given that Apple TV has been around for 14 years, we should really be beyond the 5th generation at this stage. And it’s time for Apple to release a cheaper version for people to pick up, especially given the warm reception at the $ 99 HomePod Mini.