Rumors of next-gen Apple TV hardware have been picking up steam in recent months and many observers expect to see a new Apple TV streaming device (or devices) this year.
So, what should the next-gen Apple TV offer?
Here are a few things I would like to see in the 2020 update as well as some hopeful, if not terribly optimistic, wishes.
• Faster processor:: A near given in any refresh of Apple’s hardware, the latest rumors have Apple bumping the current box’s A10X chip up to a more capable A12X.
• Better remote: The touchpad drives me nuts. I often find the remote lagging or overshooting where I want it to go regardless of whether I’m entering text, scrolling through apps or playing a game.
• UWB support for finding lost remotes: Apple added what it calls a “U1” chip into the iPhone 11 line last year… Apple describes the tech on its iPhone 11 page as “GPS at the scale of your living room” so why not add the functionality into the Apple TV and new remote to help you find the inevitable lost remote?
• A cheaper Apple TV streaming stick: A less expensive, perhaps slimmed-down version of the Apple TV would give Apple a new way to get people into its ecosystem, providing another avenue for not just streaming Apple TV Plus shows… but also a way into Arcade, Apple Music and iTunes.
MacDailyNews Take: The first three seem like givens. The forth, a cheaper Apple TV streaming stick, is more of a wish (especially Eli’s $50 price tag), but it certainly would expand “Apple TV” use and the reach of Apple Services. Our’ fifth wish is for Apple to drain the “Apple TV” naming swamp they’ve created.
One major product naming goal is to concisely and instantly convey to potential customers what a product is and does. We find that goal particularly humorous when trying to explain Apple TV, Apple TV+, and the Apple TV app to normal people who don’t have time for obtaining doctoral degrees.
The process involved in product naming can take months or years to complete. Some key steps include specifying the branding objectives, developing the product name itself, evaluating names through target market testing and focus groups, choosing a final product name, and marketing it with clarity. Obviously, with “Apple TV,” Apple hasn’t bothered with any of this.
Every day, we thank Jobs that there is no line of Apple TV TVs. — MacDailyNews, May 18, 2020