These Are Not the Consoles You’re Looking For

All of this talk from Apple about the iPhone 15 Pro with the A17 Pro chip inside being “the best game console” has had me thinking. That’s a very particular way to express that they think the phone is going to be great for gaming. The term “console” has typically been reserved for dedicated gaming rigs — obviously like a PlayStation, Xbox, or even Nintendo Switch. But their next-gen graphics cores in the iPhone 15 Pro, which Apple seems very excited about, paired with its 4K-capable external display support has me thinking less about the next M-series chip for the Mac and more about the A17 Pro going into the next Apple TV.

Sure, gaming on the Apple TV has mostly flopped so far. But they continue to make a concerted effort to bring great game support across all their platforms, Apple TV included, through Apple Arcade. And Apple TV is way more of a console in my mind than either the iPhone or the Mac.

Might we see an updated Apple TV, which has historically rocked an A-series chip, with the A17 Pro perhaps before that new 3-nanometer chip and cores make it into the M3?