I’ve been meaning to address the issue of the future of AppleTV since WWDC. Right now I’m wondering if Apple is about to release AppleTV with Apple Intelligence?
Coincidentally today Mark Gurman from Bloomberg and the PowerOn Newsletter asked the question that tees up my answer more than ever:
The M-Series Chip, Yes, But– for AppleTV with Apple Intelligence
The reasons for a new AppleTV with an M-Series Chip and lots of memory is to serve as the Preferred Home Hub and provide all of the devices in Apple Home with permanent access to Apple Intelligence.
Apple Intelligence Hardware Requirements are a Challenge; Preferred Home Hub is an Opportunity
When I heard what the hardware requirements were for Apple Intelligence I immediately began inventorying my Apple devices, and quickly realized that my M-Series Macs were the only devices that my family owned that could run any of the Apple intelligence features announced at WWDC.
We just bought Jimmy a 2023 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro CPU and 18GB of unified memory as his audio workstation for college. (Jimmy starts in the Music Industry Degree Program at Drexel University in Philadelphia in September.)
None of us have an iPhone 15 Pro, the only iPhone currently available that’s capable of handling Apple Intelligence workloads.
Since we just bought a MacBook Pro, purchasing an iPhone 15 Pro or a forthcoming iPhone 16 capable of running Apple Intelligence is not likely to be among our Fall 2024 purchases. Our electronics budget is kind of blown at the moment.
What about our the rest of our devices? Our AppleTVs and HomePod minis especially. Why can’t they access Apple Intelligence in some way?
The answer is they could, if Apple used the “Preferred Home Hub” feature that we have seen in iOS 18. And if some device that can function as a Home Hub in Apple Home met the hardware requirements for Apple Intelligence.
Back in June, industry publications 9To5Mac, The Verge, and AppleInsider all reported on the post from r/HomeKit that iOS 18 betas allowed many users to choose their Preferred Home Hub.
If this preference persists into the public release of iOS 18 and related Apple operating systems, that would lay part of the foundation for incorporating Apple Intelligence in the Apple Home experience.
HomePod mini Hardware Specs– an Apple Watch SE in a Smart Speaker
My family’s Apple device inventory includes six HomePod minis spread through our house. These smart speakers contain Apple S5 systems on a chip and 1GB of memory.
The S5 SOC also powers the Apple Watch Series 5 and the Apple Watch SE. That’s a good CPU for our pre-Apple Intelligence needs, but it cannot run the workloads necessary to handle the features of Apple Intelligence on its own.
Apple Doesn’t Obsolete Devices Overnight
I’ve said repeatedly on Operation Gadget that Apple does not typically obsolete entire classes of products in a single annual release of their operating systems. So I’ve been thinking of ways the Apple Home can participate in Apple Intelligence in 2024 without massive device replacement.
The obvious answer is an upgrade to the AppleTV 4K, which only currently costs $129 or $149.
If Apple released an M-Series AppleTV 4K with sufficient RAM, it would be an AppleTV with Apple Intelligence. It could also be designated as an Apple Home Preferred Home Hub.
The groundwork would then be laid for HomePods and HomePod minis to receive voice queries and respond with Apple Intelligence-powered answers.
What’s Missing from the WWDC Roadmap as We Understand It?
The only thing that I haven’t seen is for Apple to make tvOS 18 and HomePod Software Version 18 communicate with each other to collaborate on answering Apple Intelligence queries.
Perhaps this is a feature of the new operating systems that will appear only after an M-Series AppleTV is available on an Apple Home network?
What Would the Experience Be Like? Talking to a HomePod mini, But Siri with Apple Intelligence Responds
But what would the experience be like if they did communicate with each other in that fashion?
In this YouTube video, Apple’s Kelsey Peterson shows some of the Apple Intelligence features of Siri. This demonstration represents what Apple plans in future implementation of Apple Intelligence on the iPhone.
She could easily accomplish the same things by speaking conversationally to Siri on one of her HomePods or HomePod minis. Those devices would simply have to find an Apple Intelligence-compatible device on the network to which it is connected, so Kelsey’s queries could be understood and acted upon.
A new AppleTV with Apple Intelligence would be that device. The vast majority of AppleTVs are installed and connected to a 4K television in a fixed location. HomePods could connect to an AppleTV with Apple Intelligence and get a response from Siri.
Timeframe if a New AppleTV is Announced Soon
When could this happen? Perhaps in tvOS 18.1 or 18.2.