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$99 Apple TV Might Make a Comeback Next Year

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A new Apple TV streaming box is rumored to launch next year, and there is a possibility that the device's U.S. pricing will start at just $99.

apple-tv-4k-new-orange.jpg

Shortly after the current Apple TV 4K model launched in October 2022, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the next Apple TV would be "more affordable" than the current model. He said a "sub-$100 price" would be the "sweet spot" for the Apple TV, but exact pricing for the next model remains to be seen.

Both the 2010 and 2012 versions of the Apple TV were priced at $99 in the U.S. at launch, and Apple eventually lowered the price of the 2012 model to $69, so there is precedent for a sub-$100 Apple TV that would better compete with lower-priced streaming devices like the Google TV Streamer, which costs $99.99. Amazon and Roku have even cheaper streaming stick options starting as low as $24.99 on sale.

In the U.S., the current Apple TV starts at $129 with 64GB of storage, and a 128GB model with an added Ethernet port is available for $149.

Rumored features for the next Apple TV include a faster A-series chip and Wi-Fi 6E support.

A built-in camera has also been rumored for a future Apple TV model. tvOS 17 added a FaceTime app to the Apple TV, allowing for users to have video calls by using the rear camera on a connected iPhone or iPad. If the Apple TV gained a built-in camera, users would no longer need to rely on an external device for video calls on the TV.

It is unclear exactly when in 2025 the new Apple TV will be released.

Article Link: $99 Apple TV Might Make a Comeback Next Year
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/12/24/99-dollar-apple-tv-is-a-possibility-next-year/
The camera wasn’t even rumored for the Apple TV, it was rumored for the HomePad speaker thing.
Obviously they aren’t going to put a camera in the tiny box that sitsbelow, behind or inside of an entertainment center near a TV.
What would a camera like that even capture, the inside of a cabinet?

Obviously, the HomePod with a display (or HomePad) will have a camera that you can probably access via the Apple TV.
But a tiny camera in the $99 box? No.
 
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Lounge vibes 05 said:
The camera wasn’t even rumored for the Apple TV, it was rumored for the HomePad speaker thing.
Obviously they aren’t going to put a camera in the tiny box that sitsbelow, behind or inside of an entertainment center near a TV.
What would a camera like that even capture, the inside of a cabinet?

Obviously, the HomePod with a display (or HomePad) will have a camera that you can probably access via the Apple TV.
But a tiny camera in the $99 box? No.
Click to expand...
You’re no fun ;)
And I’ll keep that duct tape handy, just in case
 
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Eject the Apple storage to store media and Apps in unlimited storage back on a Mac or PC and- given Apple storage upgrade prices in other things- Apple could apparently pay interested people about $70 to take one. ;)

But seriously, apps could stream over from Mac storage just like media does now, so I just don't get why these must have onboard storage at all. Stream it all instead of all but apps. Store the app files on Mac just like media can be stored on Mac. Up the RAM enough to accommodate this change.

Or for those who believe it MUST have local storage for apps (as the only possible way for it to work), put a USB port back on it and let people attach however much local storage they want.

OR, revive a fantastic feature of Jobs AppleTV 1 and keep storage inside but as standard storage SLOTS (m.2 seems ideal). And then revive the sync (media) option of gen 1 so that up to all of our media could be stored on device. There are little (whole) PCs priced not much higher than AppleTV with TWO m.2 slots in pretty compact physical units. Those who would desire BIG storage could put twin 8TB sticks in there for a 16TB AppleTV for much less than what Apple charges for a 8TB upgrade for only the storage by itself. Of course, if Apple did this, they'd use their own proprietary, magical storage, making a 16TB AppleTV cost $2200 + $2200 + $1XX. 💰💰💰

Lastly, before someone writes about a M-series-based AppleTV for gaming, the better suggestion that Apple could easily do would be revive the Front Row app for Macs to make them capable of simulating the AppleTV UI. Then a Mac Mini or even Loaded Mac Studio Ultra could be the AppleTV super pro Max Ultra of some of our dreams. I think the likelihood of Front Row 2 software is much greater than pricey M-series-based AppleTV Pro hardware. You know this would get into Mac mini ballpark pricing and then the gripe would be "Why doesn't everyone just get a Mac mini?"
 
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dont most TVs have this an app?

Why even sell it even for $99? I saw 50 inch tvs for $200 on Black Friday. I also bought 3 55 inch Hisense tvs with the Apple TV app for $280. Samsungs are not much more expensive than that.

I think the technology is pointless now unless they make it a video game system somehow.

I have 3 of the latest ones because of a cable promo but even when the $150 one came out it was outdated and way way over priced.
 
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I can see them evolving the Apple TV into a smart home-hub device with the available enormous TV screen. Then they can sell the current one at $99 and create a few tiers. Maybe tvOS gets supplanted with homeOS in the future.

Visiting my parents house for Christmas it always surprises me how many people like the TV on just to make noise in the house. Apple could easily command those ‘want-the-tv-on-but-not-watching’ moments without it being a company like Amazon or Google who’ll take the available screen and stuff it full of adverts.
 
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Still happy with the Apple TV HD (2015). Maybe upgrading to the new model, but still use a HD TV and the current one works fine.
 
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crzdcolombian said:
dont most TVs have this an app?

Why even sell it even for $99? I saw 50 inch tvs for $200 on Black Friday. I also bought 3 55 inch Hisense tvs with the Apple TV app for $280. Samsungs are not much more expensive than that.

I think the technology is pointless now unless they make it a video game system somehow.

I have 3 of the latest ones because of a cable promo but even when the $150 one came out it was outdated and way way over priced.
Click to expand...
One reason a lot of people buy these boxes is because the built-in OS on their TV is either obsolete or has a ton of ads in the interface or harvests all kinds of data, or some combination of the three.

My parents have a decent 4K tv that is old enough that the new streaming ads in some of the channel apps can crash them, but the panel and sound is still good. They're going to buy a new one, but why throw that tv away when I can just get a box and stick it in the guest bedroom or something?
 
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crzdcolombian said:
dont most TVs have this an app?

Why even sell it even for $99? I saw 50 inch tvs for $200 on Black Friday. I also bought 3 55 inch Hisense tvs with the Apple TV app for $280. Samsungs are not much more expensive than that.
Click to expand...

AppleTV (the app) vs. AppleTV (the box) are as night & day as any iPhone app vs. iPhone. One app is not the entire product.

I consider this perhaps the worst naming decision by Apple in their history because it drives this very common confusion:
  • AppleTV (the box) capable of running thousands of apps
  • AppleTV (the app) is only one app among those thousands
  • AppleTV+ (the service) is the content creation entity that feeds the one app among those thousands.
No surprise people get confused, undermining sales of the box by making them believe that the app freely available on many TV brands is the same as the box.

For anyone still confused, Mcintosh Apples and Apple Macintosh are just as night & day. ;)

As are Apple Ltd (the Beatles company) and Apple Inc.

Or Mac (cosmetics) and Mac (computers).

Etc.
 
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I don’t see the need of an Apple TV device anymore. I used to have 2 of them some years ago, so me and my family used to use them every single day when my TVs were just dumb flat screens connected to the cable provider.

Now we have all around the house different smart tvs that already integrate internet capabilities, and already have the most popular streaming platforms/apps (Netflix, Prime, NFL, Disney and many, many more), even we have Apple TV+ already installed in them.

So honestly, to me I don’t see what for I would need to have a separate device to do what already my TVs do.
 
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L23 said:
Still happy with the Apple TV HD (2015). Maybe upgrading to the new model, but still use a HD TV and the current one works fine.
Click to expand...

4K (or a hypothetical 8K or a 16K) AppleTV will work fine with a 1080p TV. Hardware capable of more works just fine with screens capable of less. If I'm not mistaken, your AppleTV can be hooked to a 720p or even 480i TV and display as good as it can look at 720p or 480i. Similarly, I believe all of the new M4 Macs with TB5 can drive an 8K monitor... but can use a 5K or 4K or lower-res monitor just fine too. I would guess that very, VERY few of the new Macs that have already been purchased are connected to 8K monitors.

What you will get when you buy a new one is faster UI, faster everything else, broader app compatibility (as apps for that one will increasingly be dropped). That's not necessarily a reason to buy a new one until you need to replace it... but just trying to get the concept across that the "4K" reference doesn't force anyone to own a 4K TV too.
 
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iGüey said:
I don’t see the need of an Apple TV device anymore. I used to have 2 of them some years ago, so me and my family used to use them every single day when my TVs were just dumb flat screens connected to the cable provider.

Now we have all around the house different smart tvs that already integrate internet capabilities, and already have the most popular streaming platforms/apps (Netflix, Prime, NFL, Disney and many, many more), even we have Apple TV+ already installed in them.

So honestly, to me I don’t see what for I would need to have a separate device to do what already my TVs do.
Click to expand...

All it takes is as little as ONE app available for AppleTV that is not the mainstream streamers. For example, the TWO most used AppleTV apps in my home are the incredible Channels app and the (Apple) Computers app, neither of which are available in the typical smart TV mix.

Else, the same can be said about Android phones or Windows PC. Both have just about all of the apps available for iPhone or Mac, so why feel a need for either of those anymore too? The answer to that question generally applies to AppleTV too... especially if you can identify as little as ONE app NOT available in the smart TV pool of apps.
 
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crzdcolombian said:
dont most TVs have this an app?

Why even sell it even for $99? I saw 50 inch tvs for $200 on Black Friday. I also bought 3 55 inch Hisense tvs with the Apple TV app for $280. Samsungs are not much more expensive than that.

I think the technology is pointless now unless they make it a video game system somehow.

I have 3 of the latest ones because of a cable promo but even when the $150 one came out it was outdated and way way over priced.
Click to expand...
While technically capable of supporting most major streaming platforms, smart TV OSs can be hit or miss depending on the software and hardware capabilities. Some are decent but others are slow, buggy, and just not great experiences overall. Our relatively high end Sony TV is Android TV-based and was lousy overall, switching to an Apple TV was a huge upgrade.
 
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crzdcolombian said:
dont most TVs have this an app?

Why even sell it even for $99? I saw 50 inch tvs for $200 on Black Friday. I also bought 3 55 inch Hisense tvs with the Apple TV app for $280. Samsungs are not much more expensive than that.
Click to expand...
If you can get by with the built-in TV OS than do it. I find most of them a pain to use and just wind up back with my ATV.
 
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artifex said:
One reason a lot of people buy these boxes is because the built-in OS on their TV is either obsolete or has a ton of ads in the interface or harvests all kinds of data, or some combination of the three.

My parents have a decent 4K tv that is old enough that the new streaming ads in some of the channel apps can crash them, but the panel and sound is still good. They're going to buy a new one, but why throw that tv away when I can just get a box and stick it in the guest bedroom or something?
Click to expand...

The wife and I prefer the Roku interface to Apple's, so that's what we use (TCL Roku TV), plus the Roku App has a ton of streaming channels that aren't anywhere else. Roku is also the only interface my almost 70 year-old parents have found easy enough to use. I do have an Apple TV, but it's being used strictly as hub for HomeKit.

Roku is pretty chatty, though. I have a Firewalla running that blocks all the ads and phone-home logs and messages, including hard-coded dns addresses. Works well.

Don't care about the ecosystem as my wife and daughter have Android phones and no interest in changing.
 
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