The first new Apple TV set-top box in two years is reportedly coming soon. The updated tvOS player supposedly will be powered by the same chip that’s in the iPhone XS series, potentially making it a better way to play Apple Arcade games than its predecessors.
The unconfirmed report that a new Apple TV is on the way comes from Twitter tipster never_released:
https://twitter.com/never_released/status/1169018115117715457?s=20
The same source says the code name will be J305AP. Both “AppleTV11,1” and the code name appear in iOS 13 betas, according to MacRumors.
It’s not known when Cupertino will unveil the improved Apple TV hardware. The announcement could come as early as next week’s Apple press event, which would put the refreshed set-top box side by side with the iPhone 11.
More about Apple Arcade than Apple TV+
Although the Apple TV+ streaming service will debut this fall, a faster chip means this rumored hardware upgrade is likely to have been developed with another upcoming service in mind: Apple Arcade.
The Apple TV 4K, the company’s most recent set-top box, runs an A10X Fusion processor from several years ago. However, it remains perfectly capable of handling a streaming video service, as they aren’t very demanding from a computing standpoint. But the games that will debut in Apple Arcade can also be played on Apple TVs, and will function better on a speedier processor like the A12.
Arcade will be an “all-you-can-eat” subscription service for iOS, iPadOS, Mac and Appl eTV. It will offer exclusive titles from big-name companies, with in-app purchases forbidden.
