More rumours about Apple’s supposedly upcoming new Apple TV have been doing the rounds, with the latest suggestion being that it will be powered by a new A14 chip.
That’s according to Bloomberg’s resident Apple soothsayer Mark Gurman, who claims that the new device is code-named J255. He said that in addition to the more powerful A14 chip, it will also have an extra gigabyte of random-access memory, or RAM. That should give the Apple TV enough of a power boost to handle the “additional gaming capabilities” that have been described in the beta code of tvOS 16, Gurman said.
Apple’s current flagship TV box, which launched last year, is powered by an A12 chip that has considerably less processing oomph than the A14. It does however support real gaming controllers such as those used with the official PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. As a result, the Apple TV already provides a fairly decent console gaming experience, but it can’t handle the fanciest games. With the A14 chip, the new Apple TV could perhaps handle 4K/120Hz support and more powerful games.
That said, Gurman’s claims stand in contrast to earlier reports that have suggested Apple might be looking to release a more affordable, accessible streaming device - unless it’s planning two devices, which can’t be ruled out. Most recently, the possibility of a new box gained further legs when references to a new Siri Remote were spotted in the iOS 16 beta code.
There have also been rumors that Apple might be looking to combine the Apple HomePod device with the Apple TV in one larger box.
Gurman didn’t mention any potential launch date for the new Apple TV, but prominent Apple watcher Ming-Chi Kuo has previously said it might be released in the second half of this year.
In addition to Apple TV, Bloomberg mentioned a new HomePod, which is said to run the same S8 chip that’s coming to the new Apple Watch models later this year. The device will apparently be a full-sized one, as opposed to the recent Mini HomePods. However, Gurman said it’s unlikely to launch until next year.
Apple’s existing HomePod can operate as a standalone device or alternatively be paired with Apple TV and used as an external speaker, with support for Dolby Atmos, HDMI eARC and wireless game audio.
“The new HomePod will have an updated display on top and there’s even been some talk of multi-touch functionality,” Gurman said of the new device.
