Speculation claims new Apple TV model set for 2021

Just a little more control

I did have hope of a new Apple TV for the locked down not really a holiday just total misery season, but this isn’t going to happen – until next year.

It’s not coming yet

The latest Nikkei report claims Apple is indeed developing a new version of the Apple TV for introduction next year.

It is interesting the claim comes in the context of a paragraph detailing Apple’s work with the M1 Apple Silicon chip inside Macs. Might this suggest a similarly powerful processor inside Apple TV?

“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.”

What do I think?

We’ve heard all kinds of speculation around the Apple TV across the year. Depending on which set of claims you choose to believe, we may see:

• A smaller, lower cost device to compete with streaming sticks
• A more powerful device, including a ‘Pro; model.
• Apple TV with a U1 chip.
• Apple may plan multiple models.

It  seems logical that Apple will want to differentiate its own TV streaming product, possibly with a low-cost stick aimed at older TV sets and a high-end version capable of streaming movies in the highest available quality and with the kind of power you need for really good gaming and AR experiences.

Roku gets TV+

One more thing

To be honest, the one more thing here is Apple One. The company has unleashed a wave of free trial subs offers across its services and all of these seem to time out on or before March.  Apple has also made its TV app (or at least AirPlay) available across a wide range of other platforms, including PlayStation 4/5, Xbox, the Roku and Amazon streaming services and TVs from Sony, Samsung and others.

With Apple expected to ramp-up its TV+ content library (as evidenced by the move to give it its own tab in the TV app), and with hundreds of millions invested in content creation, Apple will likely want to give its TV+ product a big push in order to convince free subscribers to stick with the program, so unleashing a high end set top box could form part of the matrix for such an attempt, potentially in March.

There’s a lot to play for. In the end, services incomewill shore the company up against fluctuations in hardware sales.

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