4K Apple TV Reportedly Due Out Next Month

Back in February rumors circulated that Apple was testing a 4K-capable fifth-generation Apple TV. Multiple sources are now reporting that Apple will introduce an updated 4K version of its streaming media player next month when it introduces the new iPhone and Apple Watch.

The new box will also support high-dynamic range (HDR) content and Apple is testing a new version of its TV app that can aggregate programming from streaming apps, according to reports from BoombergTechnology and other news sites that regularly follow Apple.

The move finds Apple playing catch up in the streaming media device category dominated by Roku and the burgeoning smart speaker market dominated by Amazon, as evidenced by the recent announcement that the company will ship its new Siri-powered HomePod smart speaker in December.

Since Apple TV was last updated in 2015, millions of 4K TVs have been sold in the U.S. — some 10 million last year alone. Apple has said the next version of Apple TV will support Amazon Prime in addition to the already-supported Netflix.

Apple is also working on producing video content, according to the Bloomberg report. The company has already rolled out the video series Planet of the Apps and Carpool Karaoke to its Apple Music service and plans to invest another $1 billion to create original content.

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