Don’t Expect a New Apple TV at WWDC
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Although significant new AI features in iOS 18 are expected to steal the show at next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), each year’s event always brings the hope that we’ll also see some new hardware announced.
Unfortunately, it seems that this year will be all about the software, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Writing in his Power On newsletter, Gurman flatly stated, “There’s no hardware slated to be announced at WWDC.” While he left the possibility open for Apple to “unexpectedly” preview a new device that would launch later in the year, he added that’s a long shot that he doesn’t expect to happen.
With Apple’s MacBook and iPad product lineups firmly established for the first half of 2024, there aren’t too many significant hardware products that could be announced at WWDC. The iPhone and Apple Watch always land in the fall, and if the iPad and iPad mini were ready, Apple would have unveiled them alongside their M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air last month.
From a Mac perspective, the only products “missing” at this point are an M3-powered Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro, but Gurman has already gone on the record saying that those will skip the M3 chip. An M4 Mac mini might arrive later this year, while the Mac Studio and Mac Pro are expected to get souped-up M4 chips around the time of WWDC 2025. That makes sense, considering that the M3 chip was released to fill the gap while Apple’s fabrication partners were getting their M4 production lines ready.
Nevertheless, there’s still one product that some were hoping Apple might unveil at WWDC: a next-generation Apple TV or HomePod. Gurman himself told us in early 2023 that we should expect a new Apple TV and more advanced HomePods in 2024:
Beyond the future smart displays and new speaker, Apple is working on revamping its TV box. A new version with the current design is in the works for the first half of next year with a faster processor, the people said.Mark Gurman in January 2023
However, if Gurman’s current sources are accurate, that won’t be happening in the first half of this year.
Rumors of a new HomePod have been circulating for a few years, but it’s become clear that even if Apple is working on something, it’s low on the company’s priority list. Gurman said three years ago that Apple was working on a HomePod with a screen, although he also cautioned us not to expect it anytime soon. Even so, those rumors sparked several rounds of speculation on what form such a HomePod would take, but none of those have put us any closer to seeing a finished product.
While more recent reports have suggested an LCD-equipped HomePod is on its way, the first version may be little more than the HomePod design we know today with an LCD screen on top.
Apple is also reportedly working on a more ambitious HomePod with a seven-inch iPad-like screen, but that’s not intended to replace the Apple TV. The reports of an Apple TV/HomePod combo also seem to have dried up lately, so we shouldn’t expect anything fancy like an “Apple TV Soundbar” anytime soon.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that Apple isn’t working on these concepts, but as we said earlier, these projects always seem to be enchanting “setbacks.” As Gurman noted in early 2023:
Work on a long-anticipated product that would combine the TV box with a smart speaker and FaceTime camera also has suffered setbacks, though that project is still ongoing. The device was initially targeted for release this year, but the timing has slipped. Likewise, the smart displays have seen their development schedules delayed and likely won’t launch until next year at the earliest.Mark Gurman in January 2023
Apple’s living room strategy has always been a bit confusing, so it’s possible that Apple hasn’t even figured out what it wants to do here. Meanwhile, a new Apple TV may still be coming in 2024, but Gurman says it’s not “imminent.” If we do see one later this year, it’s likely to be little more than a spec bump to bring it up to a current A-series chip and possibly knock the price down a bit — just like the last three generations of Apple TV 4K.
Most of what Apple has done with its set-top box lately has come from the iPhone and iOS/tvOS software updates. For example, the Apple TV finally gained FaceTime support last year not through an integrated camera but by Apple adding the ability to use the iPhone as your Apple TV camera through its Continuity Camera feature — and creating a booming market for camera mounts in the process.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
