Apple TV 4K might break a record no one wants to see happen

It makes sense that Apple TV 4K customers are vocal about the lack of new hardware. The current set-top box, introduced in 2022, runs the risk of breaking a record no one wants to see happen.

A new Apple TV 4K is expected in 2026

The good news is that Apple reportedly has a new Apple TV 4K ready to go.

The bad news? Apple might be waiting for an AI-related software update before releasing it. That might mean tvOS 27 in the fall.

If that happens, the current Apple TV 4K hardware will set a new record for the longest-selling version of the product between updates.

As of April 24, it’s been 1,267 days since the current Apple TV 4K was released.

Meanwhile, Apple continues to update the current Apple TV 4K hardware with new features.

The original Apple TV 4K holds the current record

If Apple doesn’t release a new Apple TV 4K by July 4, the current A15 Bionic Apple TV 4K from 2022 will become the longest-selling version between updates.

That would break the existing record set by the A10X Fusion model from 2017.

The A10X Fusion model was the original Apple TV 4K, which was the newest model you could buy between updates for 1,337 days.

Top comment by Jim Huls

The only reason I have for an AppleTV hardware update is to take advantage of Matter. My 4k version is too old to support it. It does what I want outside of that. I have a couple pieces of hardware that can be connected to matter but doesn’t work with HomeKit so that’s the only reason I have. My Apple TV 4K has been a great investment.