Why do I keep doing this to myself? An Apple Event approaches, I get swept up in the rumours that a new Apple TV 4K could be making its long-awaited appearance, and then I'm left bitterly disappointed when CEO, Tim Cook, draws the event to a close with not so much as a mention of one.
That has, of course, happened yet again with tonight's "Awe Dropping" Apple Event, which saw the announcement of the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air and AirPods Pro 3, but no new Apple TV.
While I am undoubtedly disappointed, the truth is that I had prepared myself for this let down, though my patience is beginning to run dry. It's been three years since we've seen a new Apple TV 4K, and I'm shocked that Apple hasn't found the incentive to update the streamer.
First of all, the Apple TV 4K (2022) features the same processor as the iPhone 13, meaning it's getting a bit long in the tooth. It's too old to support Apple Intelligence, which is something that Apple is really pushing on all of its iPhones, iPads and Macs. So I'm surprised to see that the company has made no effort to incorporate the AI suite into its Apple TV 4K streaming box.
AI content suggestions and recognition are rampant across the AV landscape, with Samsung imbuing its TVs with Vision AI, while Google has added Gemini to its Google TV platform and Google TV Streamer.
With Apple playing catch-up in the AI race, it's possible that it's not ready to add Apple Intelligence to its new streamer, but a processor upgrade for snappier performance feels like a no-brainer either way.
Picture and sound performance are, of course, paramount, and that's what I want to see upgraded most in a new model. I reviewed the last generation of the Award-winning streamer, testing it side-by-side with the last generation, finding that while Apple didn't advertise it, the newer generation model was noticeably better in this regard.
Therefore, it's only natural to assume that a newer generation Apple TV 4K should take a further step up in picture and sound fidelity. That's why I'm most disappointed that Apple hasn't released an improved version of the streamer.
Maybe I'm asking for too much, the current model is a serial Award-winner and still our top choice for the best streaming devices after all. But the concept of a more powerful streamer with better picture and sound credentials is taunting me, and I just don't know when, or if, Apple will deliver it any time soon.
MORE:
Read our full Google TV Streamer review
And our Apple TV 4K (2022) review
Here are our picks for the best OLED TVs
