It makes sense that Apple TV 4K customers are vocal about the lack of new hardware. The current set-top box, introduced in 2022, runs the risk of breaking a record no one wants to see happen.
A new Apple TV 4K is expected in 2026
The good news is that Apple reportedly has a new Apple TV 4K ready to go.
The bad news? Apple might be waiting for an AI-related software update before releasing it. That might mean tvOS 27 in the fall.
If that happens, the current Apple TV 4K hardware will set a new record for the longest-selling version of the product between updates.
As of April 1, it’s been 1,244 days since the current Apple TV 4K was released.
Meanwhile, Apple continues to update the current Apple TV 4K hardware with new features.
The original Apple TV 4K holds the current record
If Apple doesn’t release a new Apple TV 4K by July 4, the current A15 Bionic Apple TV 4K from 2022 will become the longest-selling version between updates.
That would break the existing record set by the A10X Fusion model from 2017.
The A10X Fusion model was the original Apple TV 4K, which was the newest model you could buy between updates for 1,337 days.
It was released 693 days after the 2015 Apple TV that introduced the tvOS platform. Apple sold the Apple TV HD from 2015 for 2,545 days before finally discontinuing it, but it was a lower-cost option in the lineup for most of its life.
Why the current Apple TV 4K feels overdue for an upgrade
The current Apple TV hardware release gap feels especially long for another reason. The upgrade from the second-generation Apple TV 4K to the current generation Apple TV 4K occurred after just 532 days.
Apple reconfigured the third-gen Apple TV 4K hardware in 2022 to be more affordable compared to the first two Apple TV 4K versions.
If we’re stuck with one version for several years, it’s better to be the more competitively priced version, at least.
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