Latest news with #TV4K
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business Standard
Apple's next-gen TV 4K and HomePod Mini 2 likely coming later this year
Apple is reportedly working to expand its smart home ecosystem with new devices expected to launch later this year. According to a report by 9To5Mac, the company is preparing refreshed versions of the Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini, both likely to feature key internal hardware upgrades — potentially to support Apple Intelligence. While Apple was also expected to unveil a dedicated hub for its Home devices in 2025, development delays may push that launch to a later Apple Home devices: What to expectApple TV 4K:The next-generation Apple TV 4K is likely to bring notable hardware improvements over the current model. The report suggests it may be powered by either the A18 or A17 Pro chip, offering a performance leap from the A15 Bionic found in the existing model. The new chip is expected to support Apple Intelligence features, although Apple has yet to outline how these will be implemented in tvOS READ: Apple iPad Pro 2025: M5 chip to dual front cameras, check expected upgradesAnother expected change is the inclusion of a built-in camera, which could enable FaceTime support natively on tvOS. Additionally, the new Apple TV 4K may include Apple's custom-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, this upgrade could allow the device to integrate more tightly with other Apple home devices and improve data mini 2:Apple is also anticipated to unveil the next-generation HomePod Mini by the end of 2025. The report notes that this model could be equipped with a newer S-series chip — possibly the S9 or S10 used in recent Apple Watch models — which may allow it to handle select Apple Intelligence READ: Google adds 'AI Mode' option upfront on Android Search widget: Details hereMoreover, the HomePod Mini 2 is expected to incorporate Apple's in-house Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, potentially enabling support for newer wireless standards like Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7, along with more seamless connectivity across Apple's ecosystem.
Tom's Guide
10-06-2025
- Tom's Guide
Apple tvOS 26 is a huge letdown — here's why
Apple used WWDC 2025 to announce several upgrades for tvOS 26, and while the new Liquid Glass interface is gorgeous, it's seems like all flash and not much function. As a huge fan of the Apple TV 4K, one of the best streaming devices on the market, I wish Apple spent more time on making tvOS smarter instead of sleeker. Of course, maybe Tim Cook is just waiting for the next generation of Apple TV 4K to be ready before he rolls out a more robust update. Here's what Apple announced and why I think it falls short. The most prominent evolution across Apple's hardware updates beyond the design changes is the inclusion of Apple Intelligence. The new AI feature is getting its time to shine across Apple's ecosystem, but it's taken a backseat on its streaming hardware. While this might have something to do with the limited specs on offer with the Apple TV 4K, which originally launched in 2022, the new tvOS 26 features still pale in comparison to major rivals. Take, for instance, the Google TV Streamer. At the heart of its success is Gemini support, which allows it a host of awesome upgrades, like highlighted overviews for shows and movies. The device also uses AI to learn your preferences and offers personalized content suggestions. This doesn't seem like it would be a hard implementation for Apple. The Google TV Streamer also has a killer screensaver function that brings real personalization to your streaming device. Apple could give its own TV 4K a serious upgrade with AI screensavers that take Aerial shots to new heights. I was really hoping Apple Intelligence could give its TV 4K the boost it deserves. But it's not the only letdown. Apple's tvOS 26 announcement was a major bummer in this particular category, as I was really hoping Apple Intelligence could give its TV 4K the boost it deserves. But it's not the only letdown. Another disappointment for me was Apple sidestepping any mention of the gaming app on its tvOS 26 upgrade or Apple TV devices. macOS and iOS were the big ticket items for Apple when it came to gaming announcements during WWDC, but tvOS was completely ignored. This is an untapped portion of the market, one that's gaining traction thanks to Fire TV supporting Xbox Game Pass. It's not alone, as even some of the best OLED TVs are now home to a slew of cloud gaming platforms. It's doubtful Apple would ever partner with Xbox or GOG — and Epic Games is most definitely out of the cards — but casting a wider net for its internal games app across devices would make it a killer device. Just look at the Nvidia Shield TV as yet another example of how Apple lags in comparison to its rivals. There's a Shield TV Pro model that gives huge improvements to cloud gaming using DLSS, and Apple has next to nothing on offer for gamers beyond Arcade. Apple spent more time focusing on upcoming shows and movies in its tvOS 26 announcement with little time generating actual buzz on the underlying software and hardware that makes its Apple ecosystem so appealing. Given the incredible privacy and features that already underpin the Apple TV 4K, you'd think Apple would want to give it the improvements it deserves to stand out against the competition, but it didn't get much screen time at this WWDC. Maybe the minimal focus on Apple TV and tvOS 26 is evidence that future updates are coming with new hardware. It's time to give Apple TV more Apple Intelligence love and a real gaming boost.
