It has been nearly two years since the Apple TV last received a hardware upgrade, so you may be wondering when a new model will be released.
Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV.
In January 2023, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that a new Apple TV was on track for release in the first half of 2024:
Beyond the future smart displays and new speaker, Apple is working on revamping its TV box. A new version with the current design is in the works for the first half of next year with a faster processor, the people said.
The first half of 2024 passed by without a new Apple TV, so that rumor has expired, and there have been no credible rumors about the device since. As such, it is currently unclear when the next Apple TV will be released.
Apple recently announced that it will be holding a special event on September 9, but the only products firmly rumored to be unveiled then include new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods, with no expectation of a new Apple TV so far.
Here is when the previous five Apple TV models were announced:
- Third-generation Apple TV 4K: October 2022
- Second-generation Apple TV 4K: April 2021
- First-generation Apple TV 4K: September 2017
- Apple TV HD: September 2015
- Third-generation Apple TV: March 2012
Whenever it comes out, the next Apple TV is rumored to feature a faster processor than the current A15 Bionic chip, and even lower pricing. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that the next Apple TV could have a sub-$100 starting price. The current Apple TV starts at $129 in the U.S. with 64GB of storage, and a 128GB model is available for $149.
Both the second-generation (2010) and third-generation (2012) models of the Apple TV were priced at $99 in the U.S. at launch, and Apple eventually lowered the price of the third-generation model to $69, so there is precedent for a sub-$100 Apple TV that would better compete with low-priced streaming devices sold by the likes of Amazon and Roku.
No major design changes have been rumored for the next Apple TV specifically, but Gurman said Apple has considered adding a built-in camera to a future model. tvOS 17 added a FaceTime app to the Apple TV, allowing for users to have video calls by using the rear camera on a connected iPhone or iPad. If the Apple TV gained a built-in camera, users would no longer need to rely on an external device for video calls on the TV.
