The new Apple TV 4K and updated Siri Remote unveiled today have quite a few new features, as outlined in our all-in-one summary below.


Here are 11 changes coming with the new Apple TV:

• A19 chip, for up to 50% faster CPU performance and up to twice as fast graphics performance compared to the previous model with the A15 chip.


• 8GB of RAM is very likely, up from 4GB of RAM in the previous model. However, this spec still needs to be confirmed.


• Siri AI support, with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad required for questions involving a user's personal context. Siri AI will also be available on the second-generation and third-generation Apple TV 4K models released in 2021 and 2022 on tvOS 27.2 and later, according to Apple.


• Three built-in far-field microphones for hands-free Siri AI voice control, but you can continue to use the Siri Remote if you prefer.


• Surround sound functionality with four HomePods — either four HomePod mini 2 speakers or matching front and rear pairs of HomePod mini 2 and full-sized HomePod 2 speakers. All previous models remain limited to two HomePods.


• Wi-Fi 7 support, up from Wi-Fi 6 for the previous model.


• Bluetooth 6 support, up from Bluetooth 5 for the previous model.


• AV1 and VP9 video support.


• There is now only a single 128GB configuration with an Ethernet port. The previous model also had a 64GB/Wi-Fi-only model.


• The white status light has been centered on the front edge of the Apple TV 4K.


• The new model is around 1% heavier than the previous model. (Hey, it counts).

Here are three changes coming with the new Siri Remote:

• Find My and Precision Finding support, making it easier to find the remote if it is misplaced. Precision Finding support for the Siri Remote requires an iPhone 17 or newer (excluding the iPhone 17e), iPhone Air, or iPhone Duo.


• A built-in speaker that can play a sound to help you locate it.


• The new remote is around 6% heavier than the previous version.

The new Apple TV 4K and Siri Remote can both be pre-ordered starting today and launch Friday, November 13. In the U.S., the new Apple TV is priced at $299 and includes the new Siri Remote. The updated remote is also available separately for $59 and is compatible with all Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models released since 2015.
This article, "New Apple TV 4K and Siri Remote Have These 14 New Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Siri AI support on the new HomePod mini 2 will be "available later" as part of a "future software update," according to Apple. In other words, do not expect Siri AI to be available on the speaker when it launches on Friday, October 30.

Siri AI on the HomePod mini 2 will require an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad for requests involving personal context.
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Apple's new fourth-generation Apple TV 4K includes three built-in far-field microphones, allowing users to find something to watch and control playback without picking up the Siri Remote.


Users can activate the voice assistant by saying "Hey ‌Siri‌" or "‌Siri‌," including while a movie or TV show is playing. Apple says advanced echo cancellation separates the user's voice from background sound, helping the device recognize requests over the TV's audio.

The microphones also enable hands-free control of compatible smart home accessories and scenes. With ‌Siri‌ AI, users can search for entertainment conversationally and ask follow-up questions about what they are watching, with answers appearing in a compact overlay over the video.

Apple says the new Apple TV 4K and its A19 chip include Secure Exclaves, which are protected processing environments that handle microphone data separately from the rest of the system. According to Apple, data processed and analyzed inside these environments cannot be accessed by tvOS, apps, users, or Apple itself.

Far-field ‌Siri‌ support varies by region and language. The feature is supported when the primary tvOS language is set to English, Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Norwegian, or Swedish.

The new ‌Apple TV‌ 4K is available to preorder today for $299 in the United States, with availability beginning November 13.
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Apple today said that second- and third-generation Apple TV 4K models will gain Siri AI in beta with tvOS 27.2.

‌Siri‌ AI on the ‌Apple TV‌ adds conversational entertainment searches, follow-up questions, and personal context through a paired compatible device. Setup requires the Home app's home owner to have an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad running the latest software, with ‌Siri‌ AI enabled and set to a supported language. At launch, ‌Siri‌ AI will support English in the United States, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
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The new Siri Remote unveiled today is compatible with all Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K models released since 2015, according to Apple.


The fourth-generation Siri Remote released today is available to order on Apple's online store for November 13 delivery, with U.S. pricing set at $59.

The full list of compatible models:

• Apple TV 4K (4th generation)


• Apple TV 4K (3rd generation)


• Apple TV 4K (2nd generation)


• Apple TV 4K (1st generation)


• Apple TV HD

The key change with the new Siri Remote is full support for the Find My app and the Precision Finding feature, allowing you to find the exact location of the remote if it goes missing by following the on-screen directional arrows on a compatible iPhone. The remote now has a speaker that can play a sound to help you locate it.

Apple says Precision Finding support for the new Siri Remote requires an iPhone Duo, iPhone Air, or an iPhone 17 or later (excluding the iPhone 17e).

The remote has the same overall design, buttons, and USB-C charging port.
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Apple today announced Apple Intelligence features for the Apple TV, bringing a more conversational Siri, personalized entertainment search, and summaries of smart home camera activity to the living room.


‌Siri‌ AI introduces a full-screen interface for finding movies and TV shows, with results featuring poster artwork from the ‌Apple TV‌ app and suggestions for related content. Users can ask which ‌Apple TV‌ shows won Emmy Awards this year, for example, and then explore recommendations for other award-winning shows.

While watching, viewers can ask follow-up questions about filming locations or whether a show is appropriate for a particular age. Answers appear in a small overlay over the video. Apple says the assistant also offers broader general knowledge and can perform more actions across apps.

Personal context support lets ‌Siri‌ AI find something to watch based on information from a paired Apple Intelligence-enabled device. Apple gives the example of asking ‌Siri‌ to "Play the show Alinda recommended," allowing the assistant to identify a recommendation without the user having to remember the title.

‌Apple Intelligence‌ also expands the ‌Apple TV‌'s capabilities as a home hub, adding descriptions of activity in HomeKit Secure Video recordings and summarized notifications in the Home app. ‌Siri‌ AI can also control compatible smart home accessories and turn scenes on or off.

‌Siri‌ AI will be available in beta with tvOS 27.2 on the second-generation ‌Apple TV‌ 4K and later, meaning owners of existing compatible models can also access the assistant. The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K is available to preorder today for $299 in the United States, with availability beginning November 13.
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Apple today announced a new HomePod mini equipped with Siri AI, new colors, and improved audio experiences. The new ‌HomePod mini‌ has an S10 chip that supports advanced computational audio, and Apple says it optimizes dynamic range, loudness, and acoustic performance in real-time.


A Sound Glow feature turns the ‌HomePod mini‌'s top into a "visual canvas" that glows and animates in sync with music, reacting to bass and treble. It uses colors generated from the song's album artwork for a unique experience for each song.

Four HomePod minis can be paired together to create a four-speaker surround sound with the latest Apple TV 4K, which Apple also announced today. The speakers and the ‌Apple TV‌ are able to recognize their position in the room and levels are calibrated to the space. The ‌HomePod mini‌ also works as a speaker for the Mac.



‌Siri‌ AI will be available in a future software update, and will work when the ‌HomePod mini‌ is paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad. It will be able to recognize up to six users by voice and connect to their device for personalized information like Messages.

As with the prior version of the ‌HomePod mini‌, the new model is able to serve as a home hub and control smart home devices. It supports Sound Recognition and can listen for smoke or carbon monoxide alarms, sending an alert if one is detected.

The ‌HomePod mini‌ 2 comes in pink, green, blue, white, and midnight and will launch on October 30. It's priced at $149 and pre-orders open now.
This article, "Apple Announces $149 HomePod Mini 2 With Siri AI, 'Sound Glow', and Four-Speaker Surround Sound" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today announced the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, with key features including an A19 chip, Siri AI support, an updated Siri Remote that has Find My support with Precision Finding, built in far-field microphones, support for surround sound with four HomePods in front and rear pairs, and more.


The A19 chip in the new Apple TV 4K delivers up to 50% faster CPU performance and up to twice as fast graphics performance compared to the previous-generation model with the A15 Bionic chip, according to Apple. With the A19 chip, the Apple TV likely has an increased 8GB of RAM as well, up from 4GB in the previous model.

The more personalized and intelligent Siri AI powered by Apple Intelligence is now on Apple TV. The new Apple TV 4K has three far-field microphones that allow users to talk to Siri AI in a hands-free manner, but the updated Siri Remote still has a microphone and a Siri button on its side if you prefer to use the assistant that way.

For example, Apple said users can simply ask Siri which Apple TV shows won at the Emmy Awards this year and see poster art pulled directly from the Apple TV app, along with relevant suggestions like "more award-winning comedies."

Siri AI support does not require the new model. According to Apple, it is available in beta on the Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) and later running an upcoming tvOS 27.2 beta. At launch, Siri AI on the Apple TV will be limited to English in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the U.K.

Siri AI on the Apple TV requires a paired iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence.

As for the far-field microphones, Apple explained that "advanced echo cancellation intelligently isolates a user's voice from background sound to deliver crystal-clear 'Hey Siri' or 'Siri' recognition, even while audio is playing."

Far-field Siri is supported when tvOS is set to English, Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Norwegian, or Swedish.

Beyond the microphones and the status light now being centered on the front of the Apple TV 4K, there are no other obvious external design changes compared to the previous model. A future teardown will reveal internal changes.


The updated Siri Remote now supports the Precision Finding feature in the Find My app, making it easier to find. The remote now has a speaker built into it, allowing you to play a sound through the Find My app to help with locating it. The remote's overall design has not changed, and it still has a USB-C charging port.

For the first time, users can create a four-speaker surround sound experience with the new Apple TV 4K and the new HomePod mini 2 and the existing second-generation full-sized HomePod. You can have HomePod mini 2 speakers in front-left, front-right, rear-left, and right-right positions, or you can mix and match HomePod mini and HomePod speakers, so long as the front and rear pairs match. For example, you could have two full-sized HomePods up front and two HomePod mini 2 speakers in the rear.

The new Apple TV 4K can be pre-ordered starting today and launches on Friday, November 13. In the U.S., pricing is set at $299, with only a single configuration available now with 128GB of storage, Wi-Fi 7 support, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. The device is also equipped with a rear HDMI 2.1 port and supports Bluetooth 6.
This article, "New Apple TV 4K Announced With A19 Chip, Updated Siri Remote, More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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