“After waiting three long years for the current fourth-generation Apple TV box to turn up, a reported leak from Apple’s supply chain suggests that a fifth generation Apple TV will be arriving much more quickly,” John Archer writes for Forbes. “In fact, the leak claims that trial production of the new Apple TV will start as early as this month, with volume production ramping up over the first quarter of 2016.”
“This revelation, if true, will not go down well with people who’ve only just invested in a fourth-generation Apple TV box in the reasonable expectation that Apple had used the three years it took to develop that box to make something that was at least reasonably future proof,” Archer writes. “Given that the Apple TV is looking increasingly isolated among its media streaming device peers in not supporting 4K/UHD video streaming, it’s disappointing to find the leaked information making no specific mention of the higher-resolution video format. I guess if you’re feeling really optimistic you might see the more powerful CPU as potentially having the grunt to handle 4K, but it would have been nice to have seen some supporting information about, say, Apple TV 5’s HDMI connectivity.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The timing of this claimed 5th generation Apple TV’s release and of the leak itself – near the start of Christmas shopping season, make us suspicious of a plant by Apple rivals designed to dent holiday Apple TV sales.
SEE ALSO:
New apps show off Apple TV’s bigger potential – December 7, 2015
Apple begins production of Apple TV 5 with ‘dramatically improved’ performance, new functions – December 4, 2015
Jeremy Clarkson confirms new post-Top Gear Amazon Prime show will be in 4K – November 20, 2015
Why Apple TV doesn’t need 4K Ultra HD video – November 12, 2015
Apple TV and the 4K Ultra HD conundrum – October 8, 2015
Amazon embarrasses Apple with new 4K Fire TV box or something – September 17, 2015
Amazon unveils $100 Fire TV box 4K video support, Alexa voice control – September 17, 2015
With the all-new Apple TV, Apple changes the game, yet again – September 14, 2015
Analyst: Apple TV streaming service on the way, could cost at least $40 a month – September 14, 2015
Local media streaming app Plex coming to Apple TV – September 14, 2015
What Apple got right in Apple TV’s user interface – and what needs work – September 11, 2015
New Apple TV has the potential to do for television what iPhone did for mobile phones – September 11, 2015
Apple preps to conquer living room with all-new Apple TV – September 11, 2015
Hands-on with the all-new Apple TV – September 10, 2015
Gruber: Apple TV will define how all TVs will work in a few years – September 10, 2015
Here’s how much RAM is inside Apple’s iPhone 6s/Plus, iPad Pro and new Apple TV – September 10, 2015
New Apple TV sounds great, but where’s the 4K? – September 10, 2015
Apple doesn’t do this.
Apple may not do this… but Tim Cook does!
How does it feel being an ATV 4 guinea pig?
I suppose now you know what it feels like when TC bend over and has sex.
Short memories…
iPhone 3GS six months after iPhone 3G….
Poor memories…
iPhone 3GS – June 19, 2009
iPhone 3G – July 11, 2008
False memories…or are you just lying?
Facts:
“On July 11, 2008, Apple released the iPhone 3G in twenty-two countries, including the original six.
…
Apple announced the iPhone 3GS on June 8, 2009, along with plans to release it later in June, July, and August, starting with the US, Canada and major European countries on June 19.”
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone#History_and_availability
Forgot to reload before posting – I see kevicosuave had it covered.
I bet you wish you were human don’t you.
Remember the iPad2 – iPad3 transition?
The iPad2 only lasted a few months as well…
iPad 2 announced March 11, 2011. iPad 3, announced March 7, 2012. Sorry, again, you are wrong.
iPad 3 was introduced in March 7, 2012 and discontinued in October 23, 2012 (just 7 months) when the iPad 4 was released.
My final iPad.
I sold my iPad 3 for about 70% of the purchase price in early 2013 and bought a Mini.
I still have it. I use it every few months. Anything that I need to do I can get done on either my iPhone or my MBP. I really don’t have a need for it other than as a replacement for my iPhone (I have a Skype number) in case my phone needs to be repaired that’s more portable than my 15″ laptop.
It’s not a bad device, it just doesn’t fit into my life.
Amazon supply Apple products. . .Hmmmmmmm
hmmm, is this supplier that leaked this info perhaps located in South Korea by any chance?
Glad I didn’t buy one yet. The third gen one still works fine. I hope Apple isn’t stupid enough to think this is something people are going to upgrade every couple of years.
I just bought a 4th gen Apple TV. Even if this were true I wouldn’t care. I’ll buy the 5th gen when it comes out and I will move this one to a less used TV. C’mon, the 3rd gen boxes are still really good if you are just connecting to Netflix, etc.
Absolutely. This ridiculous rumor isn’t true, but when the 4K ATV does get released, my ATV4 is going to be moved to any number of non-4K TVs I have in the house.
Even if it’s true, a release isn’t imminent. Expect Oct release 2016. The rumor is, “testing production run” Which doesn’t have to be a rumor. Apple does this all the time, with product/models you will never see.
I call BS on this rumor…….VERY neat timing of the leaks about Apple TV and iPhone model updates to get people to pause on a purchase.
Dont forget that there are the new Apple phone upgrade programs as well….
Can’t see that they replace the Apple TV and phones around the same time by choice. This year was not by design. Thus a new one around mid late Summer seems logical which would equally fit in with this news as much as an earlier date as getting it right might have a higher priority with testing this time hopefully.
No 4k?
Yea, it’s a planted rumor.
I hope it is true, that is why I bought the 32GB version of Apple TV so I can move it down to my other TV and buy the new 4K version for my primary TV.
Anyone thinking this is not true, are delusional.
Yes, Steve Jobs was correct:
Hold your R&D cards close to the chest. Persecute and prosecute ALL leaks.
That’s not possible thanks to CHINA. But it was one of Jobs’ very best practices.
Whether this latest rumor is true or not, it damages Apple in the short run. We’re willing to believe the rumor is true because CHINA.
Ready to get the hell out of CHINA yet Tim?
If true, Apple could just run an ‘upgrade exchange’ program for owners of the current version.
People it is DigiTimes. Garbage.
The rumor makes no sense – unless Apple has a new undisclosed agreement with a major service provider like Comcast or AT&T.
And if such an agreement existed, it could be announced at the annual Consumer Electronics Show.
Dear MDN…
Apple’s sales of the 4th gen AppleTV SHOULD be stunted… Even halted… So don’t blame the messenger… They’re just informing the public of Apple’s serious blunder.
I’m just as big of a fanboy as you are, but this edition of ATV is disgusting in its lack of 4K/UHD/HDMI 2.0a support.
I actually had to buy my first Android device to get 4K.
Please do not give me any silly arguments about the lack of 4K material…. Start with Netflix, then look at the UHD category in Amazon Prime…. AP has loads of 4K
Then move to You Tube, Vimeo and more…. It’s growing daily.
If I were still within the return period, I’d return my 2 ATVs….
It’s ok… They got me good this time… They took a loyal Apple supporter/purchaser/stockholder and ripped him off, due to his blind loyalty. At the time of my purchase I drank the Kool-Aid and thought 4K was no big deal. Because Apple said so? Maybe. Because I didn’t do my research? Most likely…. Sit in a BestBuy parking lot and look at all of the UHD TVs being purchased.
Apple should give a credit, like they did on the first iPhone… Like they did on the first gen of Aperture…. Maybe a $50 credit toward the purchase of the 4K version. Will they? Probably too greedy for that.
I encourage anyone buying a new TV to buy a 4K model, preferably with HDR (high dynamic range)…. The content is there and growing everyday…. Growing every time someone uploads 4K video to the web…. Why include 4K on the iPhone 6S series, if you can’t view it on your 4K TV over (AirPlay) or the web?
Skip this version of AppleTV and buy a Roku 4 or Nvidia’s Shield….
Regrets from a very serious Apple supporter.
By the way, I even wrote Tim Cook and got a reply from Eddy Cue…. I wasn’t going to post it… He has the nerve to say people can’t tell the difference between 4K and 1080P….. He must have misread my letter because he asked me to try out the new ATV… I already owned 2 at the time I wrote him….
He talks about the compressed 4K that gets streamed…. It’s a shame they don’t use that same argument when they sell us compressed music…. Thanks to Tidal for offering higher quality audio…. Here is his letter to me.
Hi Oliver,
I want to explain why we chose not to include 4k –
• very little content available and most is unconverted and not native
• it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between 1080p content and 4k content on tv’s
• file sizes are huge
• because of the size and bandwidth, services compress the 4k to lower bit rates to make the size manageable which defeats the point
I hope you reconsider and try out the new AppleTV. We appreciate your support!
Eddy