According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, own employees see Apple's plans for the living room bleak. There are few developments and we should not expect much new. The other product lines have something new every year, while the Apple TV only got a new Siri Remote. The HomePod was discontinued. Gurman relies on conversations with engineers at Apple, who report that there is little to get excited about when it comes to living room and TV products. Nothing really special is planned for the coming year.
‘Apple TV is too expensive’
Gurman thinks the Apple TV is an unnecessary device, sold too expensively in a market dominated by Amazon and Roku. Apple could make a cheaper TV Stick or add new functionality to the Apple TV to justify the price a little more. That won't happen anytime soon, Gurman sighs. “Especially since Apple engineers tell me the company doesn't have a strong living room hardware strategy and there's little optimism.”
Gurman also refers to a rumor from April that Apple is said to have been working on an improved version of the Apple TV, equipped with a HomePod-like speaker and camera. This should yield a device that can play both music and videos, while also allowing you to make video calls. That combination of Apple TV, HomePod and FaceTime camera is probably still coming. It concerns a home hub, which we will probably see around 2023.