Apple is getting set to debut the next iteration of its Apple TV connected-TV device, equipped 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 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 smartphone 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.
Pressure to Keep Up
But with Google set to deploy an Android TV-capable dongle, and chase U.S. connected TV device market leaders Roku and Amazon, there’s also pressure on Apple to stay in the connected-TV game.
It would be Apple’s first upgrade 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. Tech blog 9to5 Google reported in April that the new Apple TV will likely come with the same Apple-made A14 processor that will be included in the new iPhone 12. The new Apple TV will also come with 6 gigs of RAM, the blog said.
There will also be remote control improvements. 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.
Look for the next generation of Apple TV to keep the Cadillac price: the current Apple TV 4K has an MSRP of $179, ranking it among the most-expensive connected TV devices on the market.
