In his latest edition of the Power Up newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman outlined plans that Apple is preparing to launch updated versions of its Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini, along with enhanced capabilities to both iOS and Apple Intelligence.
It has long been rumored that Apple will finally provide updates to its Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini devices. The Apple TV has gone over three years without an update, and the HomePod mini (aside from new colors) hasn’t changed since 2020.
“New Apple TV set-top box and HomePod mini hardware are nearly ready to go. I am told the hardware for the next Apple TV set-top box and HomePod mini has been done for months and that both devices are already in active use among employees at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California. These refreshes have been held back for many, many months because they were designed to launch in tandem with the new Siri and Apple Intelligence updates.” -Mark Gurman
Gurman notes, “Don’t expect much from the Apple TV box other than an updated chip,” as it’s expected the new device will make the jump to an A17 Pro chip to support Apple Intelligence on-device. There are reports that the device may ship with an updated remote, but the box will remain largely unchanged since 2010.
As for the HomePod mini, Gurman says Apple will update the chip to the S9 chip for better Apple Intelligence support.
While Apple has announced new smart home devices at WWDC in the past, Gurman notes that Apple plans to unveil these devices alongside new software updates in the fall. It’s unclear if Apple will hint at the devices, but be sure to come back to Appleosophy for our WWDC coverage in June.
