New Apple TV May Not Support 4K Streaming

Rumors of a new Apple TV set top have been dominating headlines for almost a month now. Expected to debut at the WWDC in June, there has been plenty of speculation surrounding the performance and the features of the new set top box. With increased performance, an App Store, Siri support, and maybe even a subscription TV service, the new Apple TV is a very exciting prospect. However, one rumored feature that may not be included with the initial release of the TV is 4K support, according to a recent Buzzfeed article.

Although the new Apple TV is expected to release with either an A8 or A8X processor, both of which are perfectly capable of handling 4K content, there is simply a scarcity of 4K content available right now. Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon currently offer a bit of content in 4K, but the reality is that 4K content is very expensive to store and stream, and there aren’t many homes with the television or internet connection capable of handling it at the moment. This is presumably why, at least according to Buzzfeed’s sources, the new Apple TV won’t support 4K streaming when it launches.

Apple TV Concept Art

While this news may disappoint some users looking forward to the feature, there is always the possibility that Apple will add 4K support in the future. If the new Apple TV does indeed have an A8 or A8X chip in it, the box will be fully capable of rendering 4K content. When it becomes more widely available, Apple will more than likely add support for it.

As usual, Apple has declined to comment about these rumors. We expect to learn more about the new Apple TV as the Worldwide Developers Conference in June draws closer. At the moment, we expect the new Apple TV to be introduced at the WWDC, and become available to users as early as September of this year.

[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.]