Why has Apple been so secretive with tvOS 16?

We’ve known what to expect with the next generations of all Apple’s operating systems since WWDC in June, but for reasons that don’t yet make much sense we’ve had very little awareness of the company’s plans for tvOS.

Why?

There was no press release for the OS. There was so little information that it forced industry watchers to look through all Apple’s other announcements to piece things together. And, even today, 24-hours since the product was updated, we’re still attempting to piece together what to expect in tvOS 16.

What we knew after WWDC:

• New Remote app on iPhone: The iPhone now offers an Apple TV controlling app when you tap it in Control Center.
• Apple Fitness+: We now see better metrics on screen, and better guidance as to the intensity of the current part of the exercise we’re doing.
• Nintendo Switch controller support: You’ll be able to use Nintendo Switch Joy Con and Por controllers with Apple TV.

What we learned with the new Apple TV announcement

• HDR10+ support: This isn’t new and has been part of Apple TV since the last model.
• Matter support: Though this is for some reason only available in the $149 model.
• Siri on Apple TV: Can now recognize up to six individual user voices to personalize the experience. Siri can also ask questions such as “What should I watch”, to get tailored recommendations.
• AirPods: These can use Hey Siri when connected to the TV.
• Siri: Becomes a discreet circle on the top corner of the screen rather than dominating bottom of it as it once did.

What’s the secrecy all about?

Is tvOS simply becoming deprecated with the focus of its teams pointing at services to be provided to any system supporting TV+? While I can’t be completely certain of this, I have a hunch this is going to relate to sports programming and SharePlay.

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