Why did Apple TV remove the +? And what does it mean for a future Apple TV Pro streaming box?
The name change does cause a problem for the Apple TV streaming box - so what will a next-gen version be called?
Apple TV+ has dropped the + and is now just plain old Apple TV. The reasons seem to be fairly straightforward, most notably that people didn’t seem to mention the + when talking about Apple TV. In other words, everyone just called the streaming service just ‘Apple TV’.
In an interview from The Town podcast, Apple executive Eddy Cue said the following:
“I just decided – we just decided. Look, we put the plus in there because we’ve used it in our other services like iCloud+ and News+, but we do that when we have a free service and then there’s a paid version. We stayed consistent because of it, but we all called it Apple TV and we said that given where we are today, it’s a great time to do it, so let’s just do it.”
Could it mean that a more premium tier is coming….called wait for it…. Apple TV+? Eddy Cue’s chat would certainly seem to hint at that, although at present that would seem a little silly.
Interestingly, Cue also confirmed that Apple TV’s user base is “significantly more than” a 45 million figure that has been bandied around. But then so it should be given that Apple gave away loads of subs with devices and given that some bundle deals include it. Cue did say that the current position is a “little further behind where I’d like to be”, citing the pandemic and subsequent Hollywood writers strike. The service is way behind leader Netflix, which has over 300 million users.
But the name change does cause a problem for the Apple TV streaming box, which most people call ‘Apple TV’ even if Apple’s official name for it is Apple TV 4K. Could a future new device change the name still further? One point of view is that Apple really isn’t fussed about the confusion with the Apple TV box at all, given that the Apple TV app is available on most platforms and TVs.
However, it seems we are set to get a new box at some point – maybe in early 2026, though stocks are reportedly running low. There is still a little bit of time for it to appear in November this year, though. No doubt the box will support all the latest standards including Dolby Vision and Wi-Fi 7 and reports suggest may use Apple’s own N1 chip for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity as well as support for the Thread smart home ecosystem. It’s also set to support Apple Intelligence, too.
Could the new box be called Apple TV Pro to pitch its premium features over and above the app available on smart TVs and elsewhere? Time will tell.
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
