Apple may have just made an unusually early reference to its next Apple TV 4K.
The company updated an Apple Music support document Monday to say that Hi-Res Lossless is available on “Apple TV 4K (3rd generation or later).”
There’s just one problem: Apple has never announced an Apple TV 4K newer than the third-generation model it currently sells.
The wording could simply be Apple future-proofing its support documentation or an editing mistake. It also arrives as evidence continues to build that a fourth-generation Apple TV 4K is in development.
A fourth-generation model has already appeared in Apple’s software
Code references discovered earlier this month included an image labeled “Apple TV 4K (4th generation),” providing the clearest indication yet of how Apple is referring to the unreleased model internally.
The device pictured in those files looks nearly identical to the current Apple TV 4K, suggesting Apple isn’t planning a major exterior redesign.
Earlier reporting has pointed to much larger changes inside. The next Apple TV is expected to get a newer processor replacing the A15 Bionic used since 2022, along with Apple’s N1 wireless networking chip and support for newer Siri and Apple Intelligence features.
Other findings have pointed to an updated Siri Remote. Apple hasn’t confirmed those specifications, and its newly updated support page doesn’t reveal anything about the hardware itself.
The current Apple TV 4K is nearly four years old
Apple introduced the third-generation Apple TV 4K in October 2022, making the current hardware one of the older products in its lineup.
Apple also recently increased its U.S. starting price from $129 to $199, making the cost of the next model another unanswered question.
There’s no indication in the updated support document that a fourth-generation Apple TV would cost more, or that the recent price increase was made specifically in preparation for new hardware.
Apple hasn’t announced a fourth-generation Apple TV 4K or given a date for another hardware refresh.
For now, the curious part is sitting on Apple’s own support site: Hi-Res Lossless works with the third-generation Apple TV 4K “or later,” even though Apple doesn’t sell a “later” model yet.
