Apple appears to be getting closer to releasing its first new Apple TV in nearly four years. An image found in Apple’s code references an “Apple TV 4K (4th generation),” giving us the clearest evidence yet that another generation of the streaming box is in development.
The file was discovered in Apple’s software and shows a familiar black square box that looks nearly identical to the Apple TV 4K Apple currently sells.
Apple hasn’t announced a new model, but the fourth-generation label leaves little ambiguity about what the asset was created for.
Don’t expect a major redesign
If the image represents the finished product, Apple isn’t doing much to the outside. The current Apple TV 4K already has a compact black enclosure with little reason to grow or change shape, and the new image shows no obvious departure from that design.
Apple last updated the hardware in October 2022, when the third-generation Apple TV 4K moved to the A15 Bionic chip and became smaller and lighter than its predecessor.
Nearly four years later, the processor is now one of the oldest pieces of technology inside Apple’s current product lineup.
Previous code discoveries point to an A19 or A19 Pro chip for the next model, a substantial jump from the A15.
Faster wireless connectivity and support for Apple’s newer Siri AI capabilities have also been linked to the upcoming hardware.
Those details aren’t revealed by the new image, but they make the familiar exterior more interesting. Apple may be preparing a much bigger change inside the box than you’ll be able to see from across the living room.
A new Siri Remote has surfaced too
Apple’s code has also contained references to a redesigned Siri Remote, although the remote isn’t shown in the newly discovered Apple TV image.
It’s unclear what Apple plans to change. The current aluminum Siri Remote arrived with the second-generation Apple TV 4K in 2021 and was updated with USB-C charging a year later.
Apple skipped the Apple TV entirely during its September hardware announcements, so the code doesn’t tell us when the fourth-generation model will arrive.
But after nearly four years with the same Apple TV 4K, Apple now has an asset in its own software explicitly identifying the next generation.
What remains unknown is when the company plans to put it on sale and how much of an upgrade is hiding inside that familiar black box.
