Next Apple TV refresh could see it pick up an A14 SoC, HomePod could get a Google Nest Hub makeover

A new report has pointed to some interesting possibilities for Apple’s TV STB and its HomePod this year. It’s been a while since both products have been refreshed and apparently Apple hasn’t been idle in the interim. According to 9to5Mac’s sources, the Apple TV update will bring with it Apple’s next-generation A14 SoC, which is the same chipset expected to appear in the iPhone 12 later this year.

Why would Apple want to stick such a powerful chip in its streaming box? Likely its graphics performance, which will be in the same ballpark as the PS4 Pro (it’s A12X and A12Z are already as powerful as a regular Xbox One S). Apple has been slowly showing an increased interest in expanding its mobile gaming empire and while competing directly with the next-gen PlayStation and Xbox mightn’t be on the cards, Nintendo might want to look over its shoulder.

The same report also notes that Apple has switched the software on the HomePod from iOS to tvOS. As Apple has with its forked version of iOS for iPad, now called iPadOS, you can expect that this swtich is significant. The most obvious reason for such a switch that we can think of is that Apple is looking to launch a Google Nest Hub and Amazon Echo Show competitor (HomePod Hub?). A HomePod mini is also on the cards too, based on code snippets.