Rumor: Apple will release Apple TV with 4k support this year

Apple is going to release a variant of its Apple TV set-top box this year with 4k support. That claims financial news agency Bloomberg. Presumably, the set-top box can also display HDR images. The most recent version of the device is from 2015.

The set-top box may be coming this year, but it could also be released later, Bloomberg writes. The internal code name of the device is J105. There are no further details of the device, but the comment of ‘better colors’ points to HDR support.

The article takes a closer look at the features of Apple TV that didn’t make it. For example, prototypes of the current fourth generation would have had a coax input to replace the set-top box of cable companies. Apple has been in talks with cable companies about the service, but the companies haven’t come to an agreement due to disagreements over money.

Also, Apple is said to have tried other interfaces than the iOS-inspired field of icons. There has been a screen with four tabs: video, music, gaming and other things. Hovering over the tab would then bring up the options.

In addition, the company has considered putting a game controller in the box and running the voice commands through microphones in the device itself, rather than in the remote. Bloomberg reports that engineers would be disappointed that many of the options didn’t make it into the final product.