This is a year that will see the beginning of a “deluge” of new products, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. And the latest report indicates we may see a new Apple TV streaming box with, just possibly, a new TV remote.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman claims that the next Apple TV box is on its way. Well, it’s more than a year since the last one, which left the box design unchanged but revealed a sensational upgrade in the form of a brilliant new remote control. Here’s what may be coming next.
A14 processor
The current box has a very fast chip. The A12 processor in the current model is very powerful, arguably much more so than most streaming boxes could possibly need. That’s because the Apple TV box is a games console, too.
So the report that this year’s updates could see the introduction of the A14 chip found in the iPhone 12 series, so considerably more potent than the A12, especially if another rumor, of 4GB RAM, proves true. That compares to 3GB in the current version.
Price cut
It’s not unheard of for Apple to cut the price of a product, though it mostly prefers to hold prices steady while it introduces new features or design. But analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that Apple needs something cheaper to compete, so it may be that the next Apple TV 4K is more keenly priced.
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New remote
I find this less likely, but here goes. Spotted by 9to5Mac, there’s a rumor that the next TV box could introduce a new remote. Here’s the thing, the latest model put right a long-standing problem with the previous remote which was hard to use. The new one is sublime, so why would Apple replace it, especially so soon?
The only explanation that I find compelling is that it will have the one feature that many have said it should have had all along: compatibility with Find My, so you can locate it when it’s slipped under the sofa. Though, here’s a thought, why not look under the sofa?
But there’s certainly a value in making the remote even easier to find. I have to add that I’ve literally never lost this new remote because it’s big, heavy and, well, silver enough to be easily found. I may regret saying that, of course.
In short, a new remote seems unlikely to me because Apple has hit the bulls eye with the current design, but I am open to be persuaded. There are already alternatives, such as a handsome and tactile remote cover from Nomad which has a place for an AirTag, but built in Find My capabilities would certainly be welcome. Oh, and maybe a new remote could see some of the gaming strengths return.
Release date
There’s no exact release predicted, but Gurman’s guess is that the slew of new devices will all—all of them, please note—arrive later this year or by the middle of 2023. That’s a lot of kit. In other words, the next six to 12 months will be exciting for Apple watchers.
