Apple is getting set to debut the next iteration of its Apple TV connected TV device, with a faster gaming-ready processor. But the gadget is likely slated for a 2021 release.
That news comes courtesy of the B-roll material in a Bloomberg story published earlier this week, focused on the larger news of Apple’s quest to deploy 75 million 5G-capable iPhones by the end of this year.
With Apple ranking third in the second quarter in global smart phone shipments, trailing Huawei and Samsung with only 38 million units, there’s certainly urgency for Apple to get in the game in terms of 5G handset compatibility.
But with Google set to deploy an Android TV-capable dongle, and chase market leaders Roku and Amazon in the OTT device business, there’s also pressure on Apple to stay in the connected TV game.
It would be the first upgrade for Apple in the product category since 2017’s release of the Apple TV 4K.
For starters, the device will improve upon the legacy A10X CPU with a chip that’s more compatible with what’s being released by the Apple Arcade service.
There will be remote control improvements, as well. Beyond addressing some of the usability complaints rendered by Apple TV users in recent years—a fussy touchpad among them—the remote will reportedly come with a Find My iPhone-like feature that will help the bewildered more easily track down their lost controller.
