There’s mounting evidence that Apple’s next-gen Apple TV will finally address a few of the longstanding concerns some have had regarding the company’s venerable set-top box. While the current incarnation of the Apple TV certainly gets the job done, there’s no getting around the fact that it costs markedly more than competing products. What’s more, the current Apple TV has been widely criticized for not offering support for 4K streaming.
Not to fear, the upcoming fifth-gen version of the Apple TV will reportedly right the ship. Earlier today, Apple released the seventh beta for tvOS and iOS developer Guilherme Rambo quickly discovered new data strings which lend even more credence to reports that the new Apple TV will offer up support for 4K streaming and HDR.
As to the J105a string seen above, that’s reportedly the internal codename for Apple’s 4K-capable Apple TV.
Interestingly, data strings unearthed in Apple’s HomePod firmware a few weeks ago also point to a next-gen Apple TV with support for both 4K and HDR content. That being the case, it’s a safe bet that Apple’s upcoming Apple TV will allow users to enjoy 4K content with vastly improved color accuracy and contrast.
What remains to be seen is how Apple plans to price its upcoming Apple TV. As it stands now, the value proposition of the Apple TV is far from ideal. With a entry price of $149, the current Apple TV is a bit pricier than products like Amazon’s Fire TV and the Roku Premiere.
