An upgraded box will next year become one of the first products with Apple's in-house chip for WiFi and Bluetooth, according to Bloomberg.

Bloomberg reported in 2023 that a new Apple TV box was slated for launch in the first half of 2024. That did not happen.

The newspaper now claims that the new box will launch in 2025, with one of the major upgrades being a proprietary 'Proxima' chip for WiFi and Bluetooth. This chip is intended to gradually replace Broadcom chips in the company's products.

- "Apple will begin rolling out the combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip as part of new home devices scheduled for next year, including refreshed versions of its TV set-top box and HomePod mini smart speaker. It also aims to bring the component to iPhones later next year and to the iPad and Mac by 2026," wrote Bloomberg.


Part of new homeOS strategy
One of the reported advantages is that the chip will improve performance with other new Apple home devices, which are also scheduled for launch next year as part of 'homeOS'.

FlatpanelsHD reported in 2022 that the Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen) suffered from significant Bluetooth issues, impacting connectivity and range of the remote and controllers. The issue was resolved in tvOS 16.3.3, but the Bluetooth range remains shorter than in previous Apple TVs.


 Four generations of Apple TV. Photo: FlatpanelsHD

What to expect
Bloomberg noted that the chip will support WiFi 6E. The Apple TV 4K from 2022 supports WiFi 6. The latest WiFi standard is version 7.

It has previously claimed that the new Apple TV will feature a faster processor, the same design, and a focus on 4K, meaning 8K will have to wait. With Bloomberg's inconsistent accuracy regarding Apple TV, these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt. Bloomberg was also wrong in its predictions about the processor for the 2022 box.

 Also read: Apple reportedly revives plans for its own TV screen

Bloomberg previously reported that Apple is working on combining Apple TV, HomePod and a camera into a single device.

Google recently launched the upgraded Google TV Streamer, switching from a dongle to a box format.

- Source: Bloomberg