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Report: New Apple TV to be unveiled in September, but without expected TV subscription service

According to a new report from BuzzFeed News, Apple is currently planning to unveil its refreshed Apple TV in September. The company had originally planned to unveil the device at WWDC this summer, but scrapped it from the event at the last minute. A September unveil has seemingly been expected since the announcement was pulled from WWDC.

The report goes on to corroborate much of what we reported earlier this year. The refreshed Apple TV is expected to be slimmer than the current-generation device and will feature Apple’s new A8 chip. The device will also feature a new remote with a touchpad, as we reported earlier this year. On the software side of things, the device will feature a refreshed interface with support for the long-awaited App Store.

The new Apple TV will support Apple Music, as well. Earlier this year it was reported that the company was also planning to launch a web TV service this fall, but BuzzFeed’s report today claims that Apple is not yet ready to unveil the streaming TV service alongside the new Apple TV and will most likely push it until 2016. The Apple TV is also expected to gain Siri voice search support in its update this fall, as well as more on-board storage.

It was reported in the past that the device will not feature support for 4k content, as Apple feels there is not a large enough market for the feature at this time.

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Comments

  1. BongBong (@BongBong) - 9 years ago

    Since when is BuzzFeed a credible source for news?

    • AirDJ31 - 9 years ago

      Was thinking the same thing. Wished we could upgrade other Apple products like we normally do with phones because I’d rather upgrade my Apple TV this September than my 5S.

    • Justin Stanley - 9 years ago

      Apple seems to give BuzzFeed access to information and sneak peeks these days…

    • mariobros27772 - 9 years ago

      Last I remember hearing is that the head of Buzzfeed has a friend who is an insider at Apple. I believe there have been a few credible leaks from them.

    • Chris (@christoa88) - 9 years ago

      Since John Paczkowski went there.

  2. chrisl84 - 9 years ago

    They better open the damn thing up to developers and let us pick and choose which “channels” we want from an App Store

    • Patrick Pierce - 9 years ago

      You already can. You can go into settings and choose which channels you want displayed.

      • incredibilistic - 9 years ago

        You can also hold down the selection button (in the middle) and wait for the icons to jiggle then press the play/pause button for additional options. From there you’ll see an option to hide the app. That doesn’t mean they couldn’t make the process easier or provide better organization like folders.

        I could kinda care less about the home screen, I’d rather see channels adopt their own look and feel rather than all sporting the exact same look.

      • chrisl84 - 9 years ago

        I think you missed the point of what I was actually requesting…..

  3. Inaba-kun (@Inaba_kun) - 9 years ago

    Let’s hope so. The current ATV is a joke outside America.

    If it really does have a proper app store it should mean that at last in the UK we’ll see the likes of BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, MUBI, 4OD, Animax, Spotify, and many others which have long been missing from the ATV.

  4. j0hnf23 - 9 years ago

    Yeah … sure, September.

  5. Paul Van Obberghen - 9 years ago

    What’s the point of a new Apple TV, if no 4K (when there already is a 5K iMac for a year) and no TV streaming? Slimmer? This one’s small enough; the weight of the attached cables already makes it topple behind the furniture quite stupidly. More powerfull chip? For what if it’s not to handle 4K or Streaming TV? Siri? Great! Now try imagine Mum, Dad, and 3 teens and/or kids each screaming at the device to get access to their favorite channel/game…? Much more fun than fighting for _one_ remote. And what about a Facetime camera then? Touch enabled remote? Already available on the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Dedicated App Store? Why now (and not 3 years ago) and why new hardware for that? Instead make the f..ng iTunes server independant from a dedicated Mac. On a NAS that is, better with an USB connection. Or something. I hate having to have an iMac running somewhere in the house to watch my movies. Which will stop running right at the climax because of a glitch in the WiFi connection… For what is announced here, I really don’t see the point. This being said, there might be something else, something really new and surprising that no one have thought of yet. Naaah, not from Apple. Not anymore.

    • PMZanetti - 9 years ago

      There is a laundry list of improvements needed on AppleTV that have nothing to do with 4K content (which no one cares about anyway).

      • No one cares about what? Ever heard of Netflix and the great House of Cards series? I would love to use the Netflix App on AppleTV instead of some crappy App on my TV itself. Navigating with ATV is much nicer.

      • Paul Van Obberghen - 9 years ago

        That is because you never stood in front of a 4K TV set displaying 4K content. You’ll have to collect your jaws scattered around the floor. Anyway… Same was written about B/W vs color, DVD vs VHS, BluRay vs DVD, etc,… And I’m not even talking about video. Just for the gorgeous pictures you’re taking with your iPhone (which currently is just shy of 4K) it would justify it.
        And who exactly are you to say that because _YOU_ don’t care about it, no one cares about it? Are you God or something? I’d like to know…

  6. J.latham - 9 years ago

    I would imagine that as long as the hardware can handle 4k, content is just a software update away, no? Maybe I’m wrong on that, but I could see even if its capable of it in the future not switching everything to support it just yet. Maybe that’s just me…

  7. dcj001 - 9 years ago

    “The refreshed Apple TV is expected to be slimmer than the current-generation device and will feature Apple’s new A8 chip.”

    The A8 is not new.

    • flaviosuave - 9 years ago

      Ugh, this comment was like 17 hours ago. Soooo OLD!

    • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

      I agree, the A8, is not new. This thing should have at least an A9, if not A9X for gaming. Not to mention it’s going to be pretty stupid to introduce the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus with new A9 chips, followed by the new A8 Apple TV… Sorry Apple, you waited too long, at WWDC it would have been less ridiculous to launch this with year old tech.

      The reason it needs an A9 or A9X preferably is because it will have an App Store, and virtually the only apps worth having on this type of device, are games. The fact that it has no battery, but rather, is plugged into the wall makes it uniquely not have to be under locked as well. It should have an A9X at full power, and 2GB DDR4 RAM like the iPhone 6S. Granted, it would be more expensive, but what’s the point in upgrading to this device if you don’t want the power for the apps? I for one don’t want another $99.00 Apple TV, as that’s just too cheap for a device that will change the living room as Apple wants to do. It should be at least $199 at its minimum storage.

      • rogifan - 9 years ago

        I have seen zero rumors that the updated TV was going to be focused on gaming. I have a hard time believing the A8 won’t be powerful enough for this new device. The newest chips are going to be reserved for iPhone. More people buy iPhones than TV’s and Apple needs to ensure there are no supply constraints with the new iPhones.

      • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

        @Rogifan Since you didn’t read or understand what I was saying: an Apple TV App Store is nearly useless (except for gaming). The current iteration has nearly all of the apps people want, except Plex. Apps on a TV should basically be for content and gaming. Any informational apps should virtually not exist. Information should be presented in a glancable type UI like the Watch. You could have a HUD type UI that pops up info in the four corners of the screen like weather, sports scores, stocks, etc.. Therefore the device should be very powerful for gaming capabilities, as casual gaming is embarrassingly stupid on a TV screen in the living room.

  8. They’ve been scrapping this at the last second for frickin’ years. My nuts have a better chance of becoming President than this stupid upgrade ever happening.

  9. alfredprunesquallor - 9 years ago

    And I would care if it is “slimmer” why? I don’t carry it in my pocket. This is a definite, “I’ll pass”.

  10. 21ice92 - 9 years ago

    Like the new look 9to5!!!

    • prolango - 9 years ago

      I don’t. I wish they would have tested the interface first. I can see my daily visits dropping, due to the poor UI decisions. I hope this is just a Beta!

  11. robkow86 - 9 years ago

    This new interface is annoying. But great a new ATV!

  12. rashmosh - 9 years ago

    Again, BuzzFeed is just stating the obvious. If a popular device is scrapped from one event at the last minute, then it will most likely be presented at the next. Also, this story was much more comprehensively covered on NinjaTeched, http://ninjateched.com/2015/07/31/rumour-apples-next-generation-apple-tv-unveiled-in-september-details-features/. New 9to5 design looks good though!

  13. Jared (@GunningGunny) - 9 years ago

    Text is so difficult to read on Chrome for Windows

  14. rtd5943 - 9 years ago

    I will be thoroughly disappointed if it does not support 4K and I have to buy new hardware a year from now. For the company that was first in removing the floppy and disc drive from the Mac you would think this would be a no brainer.

  15. Jim Phong - 9 years ago

    Better Apple focuses on selling the new AppleTV for gaming … the A8X would be already enough but even with the A9X what they really need is releasing it with 4GB RAM installed, 32GB or 64GB SSD at least, and the SoC should be clocked way higher.. let the TDP be in the 20Watt to 30Watt range at least…
    That would be a really powerful iOS console for gaming and would allow developers to create better versions of their games for such a new AppleTV. With the A8X or A9X thanks to PowerVR GPUs at an higher 20Watt to 30Watt TDP or more it would be powerful enough to deliver a better gaming experience than the obsolete and slow AMD APU Jaguar on the Playstation4 and XBoxOne… The iPad Air 2 with its A8X SoC at a very low TDP can already do wonders…

    • Blake Barton - 9 years ago

      If you’d like a miniature computer with large amounts of RAM and a SSD then just simply buy a Mac Mini. It’s roughly takes up the same amount of space and contains the hardware you’re looking for

      • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

        Yes buy a macmini that’s the solution!! Have you seen all those games developers make for macs?! Wow you just can’t get enough!! Man that Mac App Store is just inundated with games! Inundated I tell you!

        Except not.

        Jim Phong is right. Blake Barton is oblivious.

      • Inaba-kun (@Inaba_kun) - 9 years ago

        Or alternatively do the logical thing and buy a PS4.

    • Inaba-kun (@Inaba_kun) - 9 years ago

      You are either technically illiterate or simply delusional. The PS4’s GPU runs at 1.8 TFLOPs. No great shakes by PC standards, but compared to the 300 or so GFLOP GPU in the iPad Air 2, there’s simply no comparison, nor could there ever be. Even going by a crude measure such as wattage, the PS4 uses around 150w vs the iPad Air’s 6w.

      There is also the issue of storage (PS4 level games often fill a 50gb BD), GPU shader capability (the PS4 is DX11 level), and services, such as multilayer gaming with PSN or XBL.

      If Apple do allow games on the ATV then expect the same shoddy mobile ports which have doomed every Android set top box and nothing more. And that’s to say nothing of the absurd pricing expectations of iOS games players. Try selling a AAA console level game on the App Store for £50 and see how far you get.

      • Aaron Lozano - 9 years ago

        You seem to control a little bit about gaming. :) If streaming seems to be evolving at a very good rate and internet connections keep improving, would RAW graphic power be really a variable to consider in the near future? Getting an Apple TV/Nvidia Shield console or a PS4/XBO and having it capable to output 4K should be enough for most applications.

        What are your thoughts on that? (genuine question)

        I understand the fact a game currently runs better when stored locally and I was very vocal about PC and PS4/XBO gaming, but after seeing what the Nvidia Shield + GRID can do…I basically had to capitulate and open my mind on specialised streaming boxes. A new Apple TV could very well do that.

  16. PMZanetti - 9 years ago

    Very much hoping to see a zippy A8 processor to speed things up. Hoping to see much better WiFi and AirPlay performance with 802.11ac. Better direct connection from iOS devices.

    Revamped UI, with a Global Search option, that lets you find content hidden within the plethora of apps.

  17. Dave Perkins - 9 years ago

    I would love to see support for 3D movies in the next model. Some studios (Disney) are releasing their 3D movies digitally only. With no Blu-ray option, I’m stuck buying a competitors product or trying to import the 3D Blu-ray from another country.

  18. adelesamantha2015 - 9 years ago

    Great article! :) For those who live outside US like me, you can access Netflix, Hulu and similar media stations on your Apple TV by using UnoTelly or similar tools.

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

Tips, questions, typos to chance@9to5mac.com