Editor’s Note (12/07/20): 9to5 Mac updated its post to point out the rumors it was originally citing were actually disputing earlier rumors of an Apple TV release this week. There are still hints of Apple announcing some sort of hardware this week, but the prospects of a next-gen Apple TV are even murkier. In any event, we’ll keep an eye out for announcements this week.
If you happened to snag a fifth-gen Apple TV 4K during your holiday shopping this year, you might want to hold on to the receipt, just in case. New rumors, reported by 9to5 Mac suggest Apple could be prepping for a hardware announcement on December 8th that could include a revamped, sixth-generation Apple TV.
We’ve been tracking rumors of a next-gen version of the Apple streaming device for much of the year, but several online-only Apple events have come and gone over the past few months without a mention of the new hardware. But these new rumors could align with the release of Apple’s Fitness+ service.
As for hardware specs, an updated Apple-based SoC (system on a chip) seems highly likely. The 2017-era Apple TV 4K runs on the company’s A10X Fusion processor, which is a faster variant of the standard A10 chip that powers the iPhone 7. It was, and still is, capable of running streaming apps just fine, but upgraded hardware could be useful for other functions, including better performance in more modern games on Apple’s Arcade service.
In any case, we’ll keep a close eye on Apple this week and we’ll let you know if a next-gen Apple TV does indeed arrive just in time for the holidays.