Apple engineers are said to be pessimistic about Apple’s strategy for living room hardware

Apple’s hardware strategy for the living room remains ill-defined and lacks a coherent vision, with engineers supposedly pessimistic about the product line, according to a new report.

This year, the Apple TV received an iterative update with a redesigned Siri Remote, while the HomePod was discontinued. Apple is now reportedly developing a HomePod-Apple TV combo device with a built-in display and a FaceTime camera.

In his latest “Power On” newsletter, however, Bloomberg Journalist Mark Gurman says Apple engineers have personally expressed concerns to him about the direction of Apple’s strategy for living room hardware.

Despite the obvious benefits of an Apple TV‌ for users invested in the Apple ecosystem, Gurman believes the set-top box is largely failing in a market dominated by cheaper alternatives like Amazon and Roku, and that Apple must introduce a more competitive solution. Apple TV‌ or offer more features if it wants to stay relevant in the living room.

However, “for now, it’s hard to believe that will happen anytime soon,” Gurman says, “especially with Apple engineers telling me the company doesn’t have a solid hardware strategy for the living room and that ‘there isn’t a lot of internal optimism. “

Gurman points out that “Apple TV” software has undergone more interface redesigns than perhaps any other Apple product, and yet it still has failed to break into the market. Meanwhile, Apple’s Apple TV-HomePod combo device remains on schedule for release around 2023.

If that doesn’t go well, Gurman suggests “it might be time for Apple to consider putting Apple TV‌ on the same shelf as other living room products like the iPod HiFi and the ‌HomePod‌ top. of range “.