A new report suggests that Apple’s refreshed set-top box could be kitted with the A17 Pro chip, which was used in the iPhone 15 Pro, allowing it major gains in performance.
As reported by MacRumors, the updated processor should give this fourth generation Apple TV 4K as much as a 15% to 30% boost in both CPU and GPU workloads. Aside from that, the A17 Pro processor also supports Apple Intelligence, which could be a major game-changer for the new Apple TV 4K.
The current third generation hardware, released in 2022, still uses the A15 bionic chip, and neither its RAM capacity nor its underlying software infrastructure allows it any compatibility with Apple Intelligence. But, it’s still unclear what Apple even wants to do with its AI. Specifically, when it comes to set-top boxes and Apple TV Plus.
The Apple TV 4K gets a big boost in processing power
Rumors have been circulating for months on the potential launch of a refreshed Apple TV 4K, which would make sense, seeing as we haven’t seen a new model in nearly three years. Still, it’s not quite like the third generation Apple TV 4K is showing its age, but several improvements would definitely be fitting.
A major upgrade being tossed around for the new set-top box is a new processor in the A17 Pro chip, which was first made available on the iPhone 15 Pro. MacRumors claims it saw code references that point to the A17 Pro, allowing the streaming device 15%-30% improvements in benchmarked CPU and GPU performance.
Other huge advancements purportedly arriving on the new streaming device include an Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is being referred to internally as “Proxima.” It’s suggested this chip will support Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E, or even Wi-Fi 7 as some other insiders theorize.
If these upgrades already wouldn’t shoot it to the top of the best streaming devices list, the potential inclusion of Apple Intelligence on-device most certainly would. This has been a long-sought-after upgrade for several Apple products, but its debut on the fourth generation Apple TV 4K could be a major game-changer.
But the most important question still remains: what exactly would Apple Intelligence be good for on this new set-top box?
Apple’s AI plans are still in the air
Apple still doesn’t quite have a plan for its AI just yet, at least in terms of its use case on something like the Apple TV 4K. The potential is definitely staggering, especially when you look at both Google Gemini and Amazon Alexa Plus and what they both bring to the table for navigation, search, and recommendations. Even Gemini’s AI wallpaper generation is pretty fun to play with.
As for Apple, though, mum’s still the word. Even when it comes to more basic implementations, Apple has yet to really voice what Apple Intelligence could be good for aside from summarizing notifications, translations, and more general writing advancements.
Apple’s Visual Intelligence definitely wouldn’t translate at all to the Apple TV 4K, unless it worked in a way that read what’s on the screen for certain information, like shopping for the sunglasses Brad Pitt is wearing in F1 or giving you location data on where a particular shot takes place. That would actually be pretty nifty, but it’s hard to say if that’s what Apple is going for with Apple Intelligence on its new set-top box.
Apple is also working on completely overhauling Siri for new underlying features, as well. That could also prove pretty remarkable if implemented on the device, but this new version of Siri is slated for debut in 2026.
However, Apple’s AI functionality takes shape on the new streaming box, it is clear that a refresh for the Apple TV 4K is sorely needed. We won’t know if these rumors prove accurate until early September, when Apple shows off all its new products, including the Apple iPhone 17.
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