Apple Launches $299 Apple TV 4K With Siri AI
Apple has introduced a redesigned Apple TV 4K focused on Siri AI, hands-free control and expanded living-room audio. The $299 device is available to preorder now and will launch on November 13.
Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer
A long-awaited Apple TV refresh
Apple has launched a new Apple TV 4K streaming device with a $299 price, an upgraded A19 chip and deeper integration with the updated version of Siri AI. The company is positioning the refreshed set-top box as both a content-discovery device and a hands-free smart-home control point.
The device is available to preorder from October 13 and will be available on November 13. It represents a substantial update for a product line that Apple does not refresh as frequently as some of its other hardware. The previous Apple TV 4K launched in 2022, making this upgrade four years removed from the last major release.
Engadget reported that the new model costs $100 more than the previous version's starting price, even after that earlier model received a price increase this year. Apple has not been described as changing the product's role as a streaming box, but the new hardware is intended to support more advanced AI features.
Siri works without the remote
The most visible change is the addition of three far-field microphones to the Apple TV 4K itself. Users can speak to Siri from across the room without holding the remote or using a paired HomePod, enabling voice commands directly through the streaming box.
Siri is primarily being used for discovery, but it can also answer general questions on the television. According to Engadget, responses to some questions appear in the corner of the screen rather than being read aloud, allowing viewers to continue watching without having the entire display covered by an answer.
Viewers can ask questions such as which Apple TV shows won Emmy Awards in a given year or where a particular program was filmed. They can also use more conversational requests, including asking the device to play a show that someone texted them about. The Apple TV 4K can use information from an iPhone to help identify the requested content.
A remote that can make noise
Apple has also redesigned the remote with a small built-in speaker. When the remote is misplaced in a couch, another room or elsewhere in the home, users can ask Siri where it is and have the accessory play a sound.
The audible alert adds a more direct way to locate the remote than Apple's earlier approach. In 2023, Apple added support for finding the Apple TV remote through Siri and Find My, but that feature relied on showing directions in the app rather than playing a sound from the remote itself.
Find My remains available as another way to locate the accessory. The new speaker does not eliminate Apple's existing tracking option, but it gives users an audible method that can be useful when the remote is nearby but out of sight.
Four-speaker HomePod surround sound
The updated Apple TV 4K also expands its audio capabilities. Apple says users can now create a four-speaker surround sound setup with the device and compatible HomePod speakers.
The supported combinations include four second-generation HomePod speakers, four HomePod mini 2 speakers, or two of each. Earlier support allowed two HomePod speakers to be used as a stereo pair; the new configuration is intended to provide more expansive audio in the living room.
Apple's broader AI and smart-home push
The Apple TV launch extends Apple's effort to bring the updated Siri AI experience across its platforms. On the streaming box, the emphasis is less on replacing traditional navigation than on helping viewers search for programs, understand more about what they are watching and receive more personalized recommendations.
The move also places Apple alongside Google and Amazon, which have added AI-powered content suggestions to their television and streaming products in recent years. Both companies are pursuing similar uses of conversational assistants to help people discover entertainment.
The Apple TV 4K's release follows delays linked to Apple's AI-powered Siri. Bloomberg reported that Apple had wanted to introduce the new device in 2024, but delays to Siri pushed back the launch of new home products. Apple is now using the refreshed streaming box to bring those voice and recommendation features into the home.
Price and availability
The new Apple TV 4K costs $299 and can be preordered starting October 13. Apple says the device will become available on November 13, giving buyers access to the A19-powered hardware, hands-free Siri commands, the sound-emitting remote and four-speaker HomePod support in one updated streaming system.
Sources
- TechCrunchApple launches a new Apple TV 4K with Siri AI and remote-free commands
- EngadgetApple refreshes the Apple TV 4K for Siri AI
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