Apple is reportedly developing a new Apple TV 4K device that will launch later this year. While I wasn’t pining for an upgrade before, Amazon’s new demo of Alexa+ features changed that. It showed me just how great an Apple TV 4K upgrade with Apple Intelligence could be.
Alexa+ shows the potential for AI in home entertainment
Earlier today, Amazon unveiled its long-in-the-works Alexa+ upgrade. The new AI-infused version of the popular Alexa assistant can do an awful lot. But I was especially intrigued by its TV-related features.
- Jump to your favorite scene on Fire TV. Ask Alexa+ to jump to a specific scene in a movie on Prime Video without having to fast-forward just by using details like the actor or character’s name, or a quote. For example, just say “what’s that movie where Bradley Cooper sings a duet? Jump to that scene…”
- Casually chat with Alexa+ to discover what to listen to next. With Alexa+ you can search for that song you heard during the credits of a TV show without knowing the artist or song title
- Chat with Alexa+ about new movie and book ideas. Tell Alexa+ what you’re in the mood to read or watch and get helpful, personalized recommendations
Essentially, these three AI capabilities boil down to:
- Jumping to different TV or movie scenes based on a brief description
- Getting info on music from various parts of a show or film
- Asking for content recommendations based on your viewing history
All three of these capabilities would be fantastic in a new Apple TV 4K with Apple Intelligence.
So far we don’t know a whole lot about the upcoming Apple TV revision, but hardware upgrades to bolster AI support seem like a given.
Apple Intelligence requires new Apple TV 4K hardware?
Some may wonder: why would AI features need to be tied to new Apple TV 4K hardware? Couldn’t Apple add AI through a software update, like they’re doing with Vision Pro?
The problem is, to this point all Apple Intelligence support has been tied to an A17 Pro chip at minimum, with at least 8GB of RAM.
Apple’s most recent Apple TV 4K hardware launched in 2022 and has an A15 chip and 4GB of RAM. That’s significantly underpowered for what modern AI features demand.
Top comment by Tech_Enthusiast
Be honest, how often does anyone actually need to jump to one random specific scene in a movie or TV show? And we already have a solution for figuring out what song is playing, it’s called Shazam and it’s been around for over a decade. Same with personalized recommendations, apps have been doing that for a decade.
More attempts to justify AI with things that aren’t actually problems for regular users.
Is it possible Apple could find a way to support a subset of AI features in current hardware? Perhaps, but it seems highly unlikely.
For years it’s felt like the Apple TV 4K was actually overpowered for a streaming box, but that’s about to change.
Just as Apple Intelligence has spurred big hardware changes across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac lineups, expect to see the same with the new Apple TV 4K this fall.
Would you buy a new Apple TV 4K to get Apple Intelligence support? Let us know in the comments.
Best Apple TV 4K and Home accessories
- Anti-slip silicone case for Siri Remote, AirTag compatible
- TotalMount for mounting Apple TV
- AirPods Pro 2 (now just $199, down from $249)
- HomeKit Garage Door Opener
- TP-Link Tapo 2K camera with HomeKit Secure Video
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