The next Apple TV may be here much sooner than expected

It took Apple more than three years to release the current generation Apple TV, but we may not have to wait nearly that long for the device’s successor. According to a report out of China, albeit a sketchy one, Apple’s suppliers are going to be producing small number of fifth generation Apple TVs next December for testing purposes. The report claims that the devices will have a much more powerful processor, which will apparently be used to increase its functionality beyond that of a standard set-top box. 

The new, fourth generation Apple TV is still settling into its home next to our television sets, but already Apple is hard at work on its successor, according to a new report. Apple’s suppliers are said to be putting a limited number of the new Apple TV into limited, small-scale “trial” production, ahead of volume production beginning early in 2016. Apple is reportedly planning to adopt a new CPU for the fifth generation Apple TV, which will dramatically improve its hardware performance, and — most interestingly — “add new functions to help it no longer serve only as a set-top box.” Production is being handled by Quanta Computer, and market watchers are reportedly expecting Apple to achieve 20 million unit shipments of the next-gen Apple TV in 2016. With the eagerly-anticipated latest Apple TV now having been out for long enough for a fair appraisal, what are your hopes for a sequel? Personally, I’m more interested in content deals — and Apple perhaps following Netflix into original programming — as a game changer, but leave your comments below.