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Apple TV Is Now Almost 20 Years Old
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aespana
macrumors 6502
One of the best products we have in our home. It just stays there, it turns on with a click and pum, a nice interface to navigate, no ads, YouTube works perfect, 4K, etc.
Easy to use, easy to turn off. That's all. We have a 4K 1Gen I think and works perfect right now.
aperfectcircle
macrumors 6502a
We use an Apple TV on all of our TVs - we don’t use the built in smart TV platforms at all. The Apple TV is smoother and faster for a start, as most TVs are underpowered. It also gives us a consistent experience across multiple TV brands. Then there’s the ability to control the TV and content with our iPhones and iPads. Instead of having to hunt down the remote, I can just pull out my phone, hit the remote button I’ve put on the lock screen and I’m in complete control. It’s just a far superior experience all around and at a really good price.
I think that the short answer is that, if you're currently happy with the apps on your smart TV, you don't need an Apple TV box.
However, I find that a TV will typically be good for at least 10 years or so, but the "smart" features are often only supported for a couple of years - Apple has a better support track record but even if they don't, its cheaper to buy a new ATV than a new TV!
It's really a "your mileage may vary" thing depending on what Apps and services you use.
E.g. on one hand, the UI on Apple TV is nicer and using the LG "magic remote" is like kicking a dead whale along a beach. Plus the "Computers" app on the ATV (which lets you browse your local Mac music/video/photo library) is unlikely to have a smart TV equivalent.
On the other hand the BBC iPlayer app on my LG/WebOS TV is better than the one on ATV, and (last time I looked) the (unofficial) ATV JellyFin client lacks some features on the (official) WebOS one.
jfancherla
macrumors newbie
My 4K died a year ago and I waited and am still waiting. Finally broke down and got a replacement from eBay but made the mistake of getting an older (A1427) model. At least I can listen to my music now.
How is this clickbait? I know people these days love to change the meaning of words such as POV, scam, etc. But now clickbait also? The title doesn't say or hint at all that the story is going to be about a new model.
Yeah, it depends on what you watch and what else you have for TV. I recently decided to drop my Xfinity TV service and use just their internet service. So I put an Apple TV on each TV. This way I only use Apple TV (so no switching devices). It's fast with good quality and I like how each TV is now fully Airplay ready as well.
2007 was a such an amazing year, when Apple TV, iPhone and the Aluminum iMacs first came out.
I loved the first device, namely because it housed ALL YOUR PHOTOS, and randomly would feed it to the screen savers. This features, in spite of iCloud Photos, does not work the same way anymore. Shame that Apple TV cannot randomly pull photos from the entire photo library and not repeat photos until it gets through the whole thing.
The first gen was really just an iPod for the TV, which was great, but the Apple TV 2 that was $99 really pushed streaming forward.
I loved the first device, namely because it housed ALL YOUR PHOTOS, and randomly would feed it to the screen savers. This features, in spite of iCloud Photos, does not work the same way anymore. Shame that Apple TV cannot randomly pull photos from the entire photo library and not repeat photos until it gets through the whole thing.
The first gen was really just an iPod for the TV, which was great, but the Apple TV 2 that was $99 really pushed streaming forward.
Like what? 20 years ago I clicked an app icon to watch video. 20 years later it’s still the same. All the promised ‘TV’s solved’ was just a bunch of BS.
And now all the smart tvs have the same or even better interface. No point for ATV anymore.
The good thing about that original device is it ran on an Intel chip… I think Celeron, and I think there was a method of using the usb port on it to run other media centers on it. Around that same time, I think also the IPod 3 had a Linux distribution to play a few games like snake on the device.
The original 2007 model was essentially a modified Mac. It featured an Intel processor and a literal spinning hard drive to store movies and music locally. In contrast, the newest ATV 4K (3rd Gen) uses the A15 Bionic chip. This is the same powerful silicon found in modern iPhones.
The focus has shifted entirely from local storage to cloud streaming. While the first generation maxed out at 720p resolution, the current version delivers 4K visuals with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support.
Beyond just the specs, the way we use these devices has changed. The original remote was a simple white plastic stick with a few buttons. The new remote is made of aluminum and has a dedicated voice search button. You can now use your ATV 4K to control your smart lights, play arcade-quality games, or even take FaceTime calls using your iPhone as a camera.
So your statement that it basically has not changed from the 1st gen to current generation is once again, provably false.
Yeah the voice feature is nice. No more awkward typing using your remote's arrow keys. I also love how the apps now days make it so much easier to log in by leveraging that your phone may already be logged into your streaming accounts.
I don't miss the toaster oven called Intel Atom. This Intel "low power" processor, was so low on power, it could only decode 720p using a dedicated PCI card. And man it was slow .... could fry an egg on the case.
JulianStaples
macrumors member
Anyone who still has one of those first gen Apple TVs lying around and too much time on their hands can rebirth it as a funky retro desktop Mac. Experiencing the raw, untethered computing power that is OS X Leopard running on 256MB of RAM. 😎
I too appreciate the smooth and clutter free interface. My 85 year old father has early Alzheimers and struggles with smart tv OS's as he lacks the mental capacity to distinguish ads from other things, so having the Apple TV provide a consistent interface free from distractions is important.
jayducharme
macrumors 601
I wish the current ATV had a decent internal drive for storing and accessing media without having to rely on streaming all the time. Although technically the ATV does have limited internal storage, it's not accessible.
freedomlinux
macrumors 6502
Yep, it's important to remember just how different the 1st gen Apple TV is from the later models. 1GHz Pentium M, 256MB RAM, and an IDE hard drive - mine is in a drawer but was running 10.5 as of a couple years ago (honestly, I think it was much more stable on 10.4, but maybe that's just my unit). Other than performance, my main recollection is how concerningly warm it gets.
At launch, the Apple TV was an eye-watering $300+ though I suppose the next option would have been a Mac Mini with FrontRow at twice the price. While the 2nd gen is less interesting from a hardware perspective, the significantly reduced price allowed it to become a mass-market product.
Though there are better options. There are apps which can let you play from a networked server (like a NAS). This has the advantage of being shared over multiple ATVs as well as other devices.
When the original Mac was 20 years old we had the 2004 power mac g5 towers. Enormous leap.
When the original Apple TV turned 20 years old it’s so such a huge leap is it.
When the original Apple TV turned 20 years old it’s so such a huge leap is it.
For my use-case - I think audio passthrough is the only thing missing on the device to make it 100% covering everything I need.
It’s the only device I use on my TV.
Someone asked why you need it when smart TV can do everything?
Smart TVs have convoluted UI, laded with ads and trackers.
Apple TV is simple and straightforward.
I have the 1st gen 4K, wanted to upgrade but I am holding on for the newer one.
Until September….. there’s still a lot to wait… 😔
It’s the only device I use on my TV.
Someone asked why you need it when smart TV can do everything?
Smart TVs have convoluted UI, laded with ads and trackers.
Apple TV is simple and straightforward.
I have the 1st gen 4K, wanted to upgrade but I am holding on for the newer one.
Until September….. there’s still a lot to wait… 😔
T'hain Esh Kelch
macrumors 604
What are you missing from the Apple TV? Only thing I can really think of is more apps, and that is kind of down to developers.