Don’t Count On Seeing 4K Video Support With Next Generation Apple TV

Last month, we were made aware of a number of new features that will make it into the next generation Apple TV. The media streamer is tipped to feature an Apple A8 processor, “well beyond” 8GB of internal storage, support for Siri, and its own App Store that will deliver big-screen accommodating applications and games.

Today, we’re learning from BuzzFeed one feature that will not be coming to the Apple TV: 4K video support. 4K support is just now coming online with streaming services like YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, and Netflix; and according to BuzzFeed’s sources, "4K is great, but it's still in its infancy.”

The move is a little surprising, as one would think that Apple would want to add in support for an emerging standard — even if it isn’t yet mainstream. After all, it’s been over three years since the Apple TV last received a significant hardware update and there is no telling how long Apple will wait to revise the hardware for it upcoming successor.

While Apple seems to have little interest in pursuing 4K video support, it will be interesting to see if its competition will see things differently. Roku currently leads the market when it comes to streaming devices in the U.S. market, while Google is in second place with its Chromecast. Apple is in third with its Apple TV while Amazon’s Fire TV is moving up the ranks quickly and is currently in fourth place.

The two players to watch will be Roku and Amazon, as both companies could be angling to support 4K in their respective next generation Roku 4 and Fire TV streamers.