code name Proxima, arriving in 2025

You can get HomePods and an Apple TV to connect to a hotel’s Wi-Fi network.

Rumors about the Apple TV set-top box are rare, but one report predicts a hardware refresh will hit stores in 2025 with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi chip, alongside a new HomePod mini.

Not much is known about the new Apple TV hardware or the new HomePod mini. However, a report released Thursday by Bloomberg sheds rare light on the new equipment.

There are few new features, however. The main point raised by Thursday’s report is the suspicion that Apple will use its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips, instead of relying on Broadcom’s products.

Apple’s Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth chip would be called “Proxima” internally. The report also claims that Apple has been working on this for a few years.

Unsurprisingly, the networking chipset is reportedly set to be manufactured by Apple’s main foundry, TSMC.

Proxima is expected to debut in the new Apple TV and HomePod mini set-top box hardware in 2025. Rumor has it that it will eventually trickle down to the iPhone 17 lineup later in the year.

This isn’t the first time Broadcom’s move away from Wi-Fi on the iPhone has been reported. Ming-Chi Kuo said in October that the change would likely happen in 2025 for the iPhone 17.

The new modem is not expected to arrive on Mac before 2026.

The final step in a long migration away from supplier dependency

This change appears to be another way for Apple to stop purchasing chips from other suppliers. Apple Silicon as a whole is an obvious example.

Additionally, the company has long said it would work on its own cellular modem for the iPhone, which is another step forward from third-party providers. This is expected to debut on the 2025 iPhone SE first.

Apple and Qualcomm have extended a global patent licensing agreement, integrating modem and Wi-Fi technologies, for two years. The extension and a contract for the use of Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF systems will end in March 2027.

If Apple manages to bring its modem and Wi-Fi chip project to a level equivalent to Broadcom’s offerings, it will not need to extend this contract and rely on this supplier for modems beyond 2027 This has been Apple’s goal for a long time, with the biggest move being the transition to Apple Silicon.

And, from 2016 to 2023, the two companies were embroiled in a Wi-Fi patent dispute with Caltech. The shift to Apple-designed chips could further distance the iPhone maker from Caltech.

However, if another recent rumor is to be believed, Apple’s dependence on Broadcom may not be reduced to zero. Apple is reportedly working with Broadcom on AI server chips. Apple currently uses the M2 chip in server farms for Apple Intelligence work, with rumors suggesting the M4 will supplant it soon.