I’m stuck on a 3rd gen ATV, wouldn’t hesitate to upgrade to a 4K, but current model is getting a bit long in the tooth.
What do people think Apple is next for the ATV (and when?).
Interesting question… there is talk of a stripped down ATV to compete with Chromecast - possibly more like an ATV3, don’t know if that will eventuate.
The 4th gen ATV was around for about 2 years so I’d say we’ll see the 6th gen at the earliest in September. Maybe it will be spec bumped but similar to the current one.
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The 4K is pretty grunty, I would be surprised if they spec bumped it this year - unless they’re planning on trying to make fetch err I mean gaming on ATV happen (again)
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They have taken steps to go the built-in route for this and partner with TV Manufacturers it’ll be interesting if they do also release a standalone dongle or device of some kind.
I’ll be arching this closely seeing as Apple are well into producing original content for a rumoured streaming service.
I think there is a clear roadmap for AppleTV, just what that is we’ll have to wait and see.
Well, it’s being included as a built-in option on some new tv’s, isn’t it…?
That’ll increase the accessibility for Apple’s own content.
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I love our ATV4 for Netflix and Plex. We still have an ATV3 which I’ve taken on holidays so I could plug in and keep streaming Netflix (which worked wonderfully once we fed it the local WiFi credentials).
A newer gen would be nice and all… but what for? What are you using the ATV for that the current one can’t do? For me Plex is the obvious choice, but beyond that I wouldn’t think too much about buying another one today if I needed it.
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I have a few ideas of what they COULD do, which would probably sell a lot of units IMO. Bit of a lengthy thing though so I’m not sure if I should just make it it’s own topic or not. The idea though would definitely make it seem as much more of a gaming machine than it is now
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I’m still pretty happy with my 4th gen, I didnt get the 4K because my TV isnt able to display at that resolution, and its screen is still in great shape. I keep looking at new TVs but am resistant to upgrading because the current (old) is just fine. Its also not a “smart” tv, which is something I dont want.
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I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. Seems relevant to this discussion.
Alright. I’ll paint a picture.
Imagine Apple makes a new Apple TV using the graphics capability smiliar to the 2018 iPad Pro. Now, at the launch event they’ll surely want to show off some launch games right?
Enter Fortnite. Fortnite has been on iOS for a while now, and runs on phones as old as the iPhone 6S, and runs at 60 FPS on the iPhone XS as well as other similarly new phones. What has sparked my curiosity of possibilities though is that Fortnite recently added Bluetooth controller support.
With that in mind, picture this.
Apple and Fortnite collaborate, at the Apple TV launch event (along with other apple devices of course) they bring on stage someone from Epic Games to demonstrate Fortnite running on their Apple TV at 60 FPS, this could also be an opportunity for a company like Steelseries to release an updated Bluetooth MFi controller and have that used on stage during the Fortnite Demo (maybe with a Fortnite limited edition variant at launch)
Now for those that know, Fortnite has ‘cosmetic items’ you can get in the game but some are exclusive. Best example is Fortnite had a collaboration with Samsung in which if you buy a Samsung Galaxy Note 9, you get an exclusive Fortnite cosmetic pack to use in Fortnite.
Apple could do the same with the new Apple TV, at the event they announce the TV, talk about how far gaming has come on their devices, then announce the Fortnite launch on Apple TV, then demo it on stage with new Steelseries controller and finish it off with the ‘exclusive cosmetics pack’.
Now I know not everyone is into Fortnite, but it’s definitely got the potential to put a spotlight on gaming on the Apple TV and would definitely have an impact
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Interesting comments. My motivation to upgrade is:
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I now have a 4K TV, so feel like I’m missing out
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current ATV often disconnects when streaming from my iPad. Annoying, and don’t know the cause - aside from the 3 Gen ATV no longer being supported making it unrealiable?
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I lost the remote (so use the ‘remote’ App, which is a bit of a pain). Not a good reason, I know.
I use it a lot so wouldn’t hesitate to upgrade, but just reluctant to do so if a 5th Gen could be out this year.
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One possible way to justify buying now, is if there’s any reason why it might be an idea to have a second apple TV. So you’d use the 4K Apple TV for now, and when a brand new one comes out you could use the 4K Apple TV as a separate rooms Apple TV. Or you could just sell it when it comes out.
At this point who knows when they’ll come out with a new one, especially since there’s not been a single apple TV leak or proper rumour really
When you stream from an iPad/iPhone, it adds a lot of traffic to your WiFi. The stream travels:
From internet to WiFi Router to iPad, then
From iPad back to WiFi Router, then
From WiFi Router to Apple TV
So, the router carries 3X stream
If your:
WiFi Router is limited, or your
iPad does not have a good WiFi connection, or your
Apple TV does not have a good WiFi connection
Then you may get dropouts
This applies with all generations of Apple TV, so buying a new one may not solve the iPad streaming problem.
So improving the WiFi connection to the iPad by say repositioning the router can help a lot.
Another possible part remedy is to hard wire your Apple TV to your router with an Ethernet cable (if possible)
Then your router carries 2X stream
When you stream directly via the Apple TV there is less traffic involved as the stream travels directly from the internet to your WiFi router to the Apple TV
Then your router carries 1X stream
An alternative from the dark side is to use a Chromecast (~$50 - $60). When you use your iPad to “stream” to a Chromecast, it does not actually stream via the iPad. The iPad sends a request to the Chromecast to directly stream from the internet to the WiFi router and down to the Chromecast. So, your router only carries 1X stream. In addition, once the stream is initiated, the iPad is no longer involved.
I hope this gives you some ideas.
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I hadn’t considered local congestion, but that’s a good point., we have ours hardwired (as I do anything that I can) to avoid this issue.
I’ve discovered when it comes to Apple products that often the best approach is to just but the best product available when you need it and arguably that new 4K TV needs one now 
It’s not a 4K but you would probably not lose much by reselling it on eBay in 9 months time if a new model comes out…
Thanks Snarl.
I have a high end Synology router, which while is in a cupboard as that’s where the NBN box is (rental property), it’s only a few meters from the living room with no wall.
Hence it blasts out a strong signal with maximum bars to the iPad, TV, and ATV.
The iPad measures the internet running at ~48Mbps and I’m able to stream 4K on the TV (eg Netflix).
But when streaming from the iPad such as from eg from a video App, it often loses the ATV and I have to reconnect.
I had assumed it was the ‘old’ ATV and a new model might be more stable, but yes it could be interference.
SIf you have a 4K TV it’s an absolute no brainer. Get it and enjoy it now. Even if Apple did have a new one in the works, it won’t be released until September. Might as well enjoy it over winter.
Price is an issue, eBay regularly has 10 or 20% sales and you can sometimes find Buymac participating.
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Hmmm, had been waiting on this Apple TV+ announcement in the hope of a Gen 6 ATV, but to no avail.
There may be a new one ‘in the spring’, but the fact there was no suggestion of that, I now think there they may switch to the service being built into TV, rather via a new ATV device.
Hence, there may not be any longer any new ATV’s.
I think this screenshot says it all when comparing to the 3rd party TV’s which appear to have all of the new functionalities.
My hope is that the reason for not giving any new features to the current Apple TV’s is because they’ll be saved for the new Apple TV models hopefully revealed in June/September