The fourth generation of the new Apple TV were having trouble sine it was released last September 2015. These problems were already discussed in the "Apple TV Review: 10 Reasons Not To Buy Apple TV".  The failure of Apple's latest TV box is to support 4K video at least and ideally high dynamic range as well is a huge mistake.

Rivals devices from the likes of Amazon, Roku and Nvidia already supported 4K back then. What looks like a mistake then has become increasingly awkward with almost every passing week, as more 4K toting streaming box appears.

The last month has been particularly tough on Apple TV, as no less than three key competitors have introduced highly affordable new streaming TV devices capable of supporting 4K.

Roku, meanwhile, unveiled a whole range of new video streamers at the end of September, three of which support 4K. The 4K models include the Premiere, which costs just $80, and the Premiere+, which supports 4K and HDR for $100. Roku actually had a 4K model in its 2015 range too, but these new models make 4K much more affordable.

As if the new Google and Roku devices weren't already problem enough for the 4th-gen Apple TV, at around the same time Google was launching the Chromecast Ultra, aggressive Chinese brand Xiaomi was kicking off its assault on the US AV market with a new highly affordable 4K streaming box. The Mi Box is built on the Android platform, will support Microsoft's PlayReady 3.0 DRM technology, is HDR 10 capable, and will deliver 4K streaming from Netflix - yet costs just $69.

Nonetheless, with the stunning picture quality offered by the combination of 4K and HDR now available in just about every other corner of the AV world, this is one time where Apple simply has to dispense with its usual sluggishness over new Apple TV hardware iterations.

Certainly Apple CEO Tim Cook has dropped one or two typically cryptic hints over the past year to suggest that new Apple TV developments may happen before the end of 2016.