Apple TV Price Drop

[pauljbax]

Irony

I just considered putting mine on ebay for 75.00...there goes that idea.

Considering Amazon has a device that does the same thing that is the size of a flash drive, you know Apple is on the verge of releasing something smaller with more features.

 

[WilliamLondon]

Really hoping this means perhaps, maybe, optimistically thinking a new product might be coming out. They could be clearing stock for a new product, or bolstering support for the platform (more people, more demand for channels, more channels, more support for future products), maybe an SDK we've all wanted and awaited for so, so, so long, could be?? Here's hoping.

I'd love to see the next generation offer something really interesting, something you could hook up to a NAS with better integration (or perhaps it could *be* a NAS of some description or some home server so we could move away from this iTunes on the desktop idiocy), something with real home theatre functionality, plus apps - I'm thinking games, games, games, but also everything else I'm not thinking about that an SDK would bring.

It could really be an interesting product, but alas, I think I feel pessimistic we'll see anything very revolutionary in this area, at least for quite some time, they seem to be distracted with the wearable thing and retail and selling more of the current stuff into new regions.

 

[Butchie-T]

Thanks very much for the info.

I called the store and they said just come in with my receipt and they will give me the $30 difference . I dont have to bring the Appletv with me.

thanks for the tip.

Happy to help and glad that they hooked ya' up.

 

[Michael CM1]

I paid $22,000 for my Toyota Camry in 2006. Last year Carmax only gave me $3,000 for it. It only had 172,000 miles on it.

Thanks, Obama.

 

[paulsdenton]

I sure hope something new is on the way. Apple seems to be ignoring an enormous opportunity.

Things like Hulu Plus are changing the TV market. Apple could be doing that!

Making our stock more valuable....

 

[2010mini]

I sure hope something new is on the way. Apple seems to be ignoring an enormous opportunity.

Things like Hulu Plus are changing the TV market. Apple could be doing that!

Making our stock more valuable....

Well the latest Apple TV update said it is for the 3rd generation and later.

 

[JoeShades]

Really hoping this means perhaps, maybe, optimistically thinking a new product might be coming out. They could be clearing stock for a new product, or bolstering support for the platform (more people, more demand for channels, more channels, more support for future products), maybe an SDK we've all wanted and awaited for so, so, so long, could be?? Here's hoping.

Wish you were right but i see this as the opposite. Lowering the price, getting more people to buy the 3rd gen then releasing a new one a few months later seems like a crappy think to do to people who buy the 3rd Gen

 

[Southern Dad]

Every year when a new iPad model comes out, the previous year's model gets a price drop. Same with the iPhone: you can still buy a 5s (last year's model), for a significantly lower price. Sure the NEW model (the iPhone 6 this year) may come out with the same price point that the previous model (the iPhone 5S) had a year ago. But the previous year's model (i.e. the one you already own) ALWAYS gets a price drop.

The Apple TV 3 hardware hasn't changed since 2012. It's 3 years old, and has dropped it's price by $30. A typical iPhone price drop is $100 or more, only 1 year after the phone was introduced.

Your complaint is ridiculous.

My complaint is ridiculous? Can we at least agree this is not normal for Apple? As you pointed out the last year's model gets a price drop when a new one comes out. No new one came out. That is understandable and normal for Apple. One of the reasons that old Apple equipment holds its value so well, besides being great equipment is that Apple holds its prices.

 

[AFEPPL]

Surprisingly the UK has dropped its price to £59, from £99.

I bought a 5th one about 2 weeks ago, but in the grand scheme of things i'm not going to get upset about it.. Lets hope we can see come content soon...

 

[2457282]

Have you ever watched a Keynote before?

I bet they had planned on announcing a newer/different model TV, but something happened at the last minute....

Don't be surprised if there is an update before WWDC....

Twice Tim said $69 and more to come. You may be right. Clearly they are working on something.

 

[WilliamLondon]

Wish you were right but i see this as the opposite. Lowering the price, getting more people to buy the 3rd gen then releasing a new one a few months later seems like a crappy think to do to people who buy the 3rd Gen

Ah, the glass is half full. ;-) Just kidding. Might certainly be true, but at the same time there are benefits to that story, one being that more people on the platform attracts more channels and networks who want to provide content on the platform (to gain access to a larger captive audience), meaning for those of us who already have the device (*and* new device owners who pay a mere $69), our devices will become more valuable with more content available on them.

Plus one big thing we saw yesterday was that HBO (for the first time - correct me if I'm wrong here in this analysis) is a premium channel offering a subscription without a cable connection, meaning that the monopoly strangle hold the [insert epithet here] cable companies have on content has just received its first major crack. This is big, this is very big.

Then of course there is the flip side benefit to your story -> a new device in the coming months. What might that look like? How exciting if you think about it in these terms.

Sure, some people might be lured into buying the device in advance of a new product being launched soon, that might seem not very nice, but it's not all bad, and that's the way of the world of high-tech consumer products.

 

[spacemnspiff]

Only problem with the refurb is the date. Currently they have the March 2012 refurbs but didn't the Apple TV get some sort of update in 2013 ?

IMHO, I dont know if the March 2012 date just means that Apple came out with a new model or its a 3 yr old stock. I dont think they have a 3 yr old stock, that's too long to hold on to a product. The update in 2013 still kept the model generation at 3, so its still a 3rd gen Apple TV.

I bought a refurb one yesterday, I will check and see what the model number is.

 

[alvaroe16]

My complaint is ridiculous? Can we at least agree this is not normal for Apple? As you pointed out the last year's model gets a price drop when a new one comes out. No new one came out. That is understandable and normal for Apple. One of the reasons that old Apple equipment holds its value so well, besides being great equipment is that Apple holds its prices.

Your argument is messed up. You first argue that because Apple drop the price, you lost value on your apple tvs. and then you say it is because they didn't come out with a new product.

Technology loses value, regardless of if the new technology comes out or not. If apple came out with AppleTV4 yesterday at $99 and lowered AppleTV3 to $69 (just like you say it is normal for Apple to do (iPhone,iPad,etc), the depreciation in value of your AppleTv3s would have been the same if not worse. Hence your argument doesn't make sense.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Everyone keeps saying it's 3 year old hardware and that's bad, without really explaining why that's a bad thing.

My AppleTV 3rd Generation Rev A does everything I need it to without a hickup. It streams from the internet, it streams from local computer, it streams from iOS, it, streams live sports, it mirrors screens, it plays music and it displays my vacation photos.

It does all this while consuming a measly 6 watts.

People say it's out of date hardware - I say it's mature hardware. For something I connect to my TV for frequent use, I think the most important attributes are stable, dependable, reliable, low energy consumption. Top of the line and latest and greatest are not as important.

And before someone mentions gaming - we have consoles for that. I haven't been convinced yet that streaming boxes and gaming consoles need to be merged into one device. I think, for now, they are better kept separate.

 

[Southern Dad]

Your argument is messed up. You first argue that because Apple drop the price, you lost value on your apple tvs. and then you say it is because they didn't come out with a new product.

Technology loses value, regardless of if the new technology comes out or not. If apple came out with AppleTV4 yesterday at $99 and lowered AppleTV3 to $69 (just like you say it is normal for Apple to do (iPhone,iPad,etc), the depreciation in value of your AppleTv3s would have been the same if not worse. Hence your argument doesn't make sense.

I'm sorry that you didn't understand it. The fact is that Apple has always had a tradition of not dropping the price of its products until a new model comes out. This has been their standard for years. This has helped Apple products hold their value even used and often helped people recoup some of the purchase price of a new device.

This time Apple just drops the price. There's no new unit, so this isn't old stock. It's a significant drop, about 30%. Yes, technology loses its value but Apple has maintained a higher amount of that value that most products because it doesn't do like everyone else. When the ATV4 comes out we expect the ATV3 to go down in price.

If you still don't understand it, I'm sorry, I guess that I'm just unable to explain it to you.

 

[Kevclark1985]

Surprisingly the UK has dropped its price to £59, from £99.

I bought a 5th one about 2 weeks ago, but in the grand scheme of things i'm not going to get upset about it.. Lets hope we can see come content soon...

This was £79 down to £59. The price dropped to £79 quite a while ago.

Bought a refurb myself for £59 a week or so ago, not too fussed though as it was immaculate and looked brand new, no big deal.

 

[A7ibaba]

I found it funny how people whine about 30$.OMG,I BOUGHT APPLE TV3 FOR 99$ AND NOW IS 59$,OMG,OMG,I'M GONNA KILL MYSELF FOR SUCH TERRIBLE MISTAKE OF MY LIFE,I COULD SAVE THAT AND BUY A CAR".****. There won't be a new Apple TV in the near future because this one is just fine for all task.It has 1080p,and that's all it matters. Like someone care for 4K resolution in 30 hz. They drop the price because of new HBO-Apple channel and want to make it more mainstream.Is that so hard to understand?

 

[oneMadRssn]

I'm sorry that you didn't understand it. The fact is that Apple has always had a tradition of not dropping the price of its products until a new model comes out. This has been their standard for years. This has helped Apple products hold their value even used and often helped people recoup some of the purchase price of a new device.

That's not entirely true. Apple dropped the price of the original iPhone from $599 to $399 without releasing a new model. More recently, Apple dropped the starting price of Macbook Air from $999 to $899 (granted it accompanied a minor spec-bump).

There are more examples (a few years ago iMac prices were dropped, etc.). Your expectation that Apple will maintain retail prices of a given model at a constant level until there is a new model is unfounded in my opinion. As a market player, Apple is not immune to market forces.

 

[AreanFSL]

I paid $22,000 for my Toyota Camry in 2006. Last year Carmax only gave me $3,000 for it. It only had 172,000 miles on it.

Thanks, Obama.

LOL, thanks for the laugh.

 

[paulrbeers]

Just pointing out Target has already updated their prices for AppleTV's to 69 and running a 10% off deal with their Cartwheel app this week. Makes them approx $62 + tax....

Just saying.

 

[BladesOfSteel]

I'm sorry that you didn't understand it. The fact is that Apple has always had a tradition of not dropping the price of its products until a new model comes out. This has been their standard for years. This has helped Apple products hold their value even used and often helped people recoup some of the purchase price of a new device.

This time Apple just drops the price. There's no new unit, so this isn't old stock. It's a significant drop, about 30%. Yes, technology loses its value but Apple has maintained a higher amount of that value that most products because it doesn't do like everyone else. When the ATV4 comes out we expect the ATV3 to go down in price.

If you still don't understand it, I'm sorry, I guess that I'm just unable to explain it to you.

Okay, so let me ask you this - are (or maybe were) you planning on selling your apple TVs?

If not, who cares? I have 4 Apple TV3s at home. I bought them all at $100. I don't look at it like I just lost $120. I've gotten plenty of value from them over the years. The only ATV to hold any value is the ATV2 because it is jailbreakable... and frankly, this price adjustment shouldn't have any effect on the prices for those devices.

Sure Apple generally doesn't lower it's prices, but frankly, for the ATV to be a 100 bucks is asking alot - especially when the competition isn't anywhere close to that. Roku is generally priced at 50-80 bucks depending on what model, Chromecast is what $35 and the Fire starts at what, 40 bucks?

Instead of looking at it like you lost value, look at it this way - with this new price (and the HBO deal) hopefully more people will pick up a new ATV, which then will then have Apple spend more time on the product so it officially has the "hobby" tag removed from it and it becomes a product that gets updates more than every 3-4 years.

 

[Southern Dad]

Okay, so let me ask you this - are (or maybe were) you planning on selling your apple TVs?

If not, who cares? I have 4 Apple TV3s at home. I bought them all at $100. I don't look at it like I just lost $120. I've gotten plenty of value from them over the years. The only ATV to hold any value is the ATV2 because it is jailbreakable... and frankly, this price adjustment shouldn't have any effect on the prices for those devices.

Sure Apple generally doesn't lower it's prices, but frankly, for the ATV to be a 100 bucks is asking alot - especially when the competition isn't anywhere close to that. Roku is generally priced at 50-80 bucks depending on what model, Chromecast is what $35 and the Fire starts at what, 40 bucks?

Instead of looking at it like you lost value, look at it this way - with this new price (and the HBO deal) hopefully more people will pick up a new ATV, which then will then have Apple spend more time on the product so it officially has the "hobby" tag removed from it and it becomes a product that gets updates more than every 3-4 years.

I have nine Apple TVs. Yes, when the AT4 comes out, it is my intention to sell my earlier versions. However, they are all now worth less than they were last month which is unusual for an Apple product.

 

[JoeShades]

I have a 2nd gen and don't care about the jailbreak, is it worth upgrading to the 3rd Gen?

 

[DarwinOSX]

All the Apple TV's that we have in our homes just dropped in value. Lowering the price is a good thing for those that haven't bought one, yet but for those of us that already have many of these devices that we've paid $89 or $99 for, well thanks Apple.

Really?? You are shocked that technology drops in price? You probably shouldn't buy anything then. Did you know your car isn't worth what you paid for it?

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[/COLOR]I agree with what you are saying but have a few comments.
Roku 3 is $99.99 but is often on sale but so is Apple TV.
Roku stick is $49 but the wifi isn't great and its slow.
Chromecast is junk. Poor video quality, lower spec wifi, minimal content and you pay for the privilege of Google selling what you do with Chromecast to advertisers. A classic case of you get what you pay for.
Fire TV stick is $39 but not the full version which is $99. I wouldn't want either of these devices either.
I have a Roku 3, Apple TV, and a Blu-ray player connected to my airplay capable Yamaha receiver.
I can't wait for an Apple TV with apps so I can have native Amazon video and Plex instead of the workarounds or airplay streaming. It works but is kind of a hassle.

Roku is generally priced at 50-80 bucks depending on what model, Chromecast is what $35 and the Fire starts at what, 40 bucks?

Instead of looking at it like you lost value, look at it this way - with this new price (and the HBO deal) hopefully more people will pick up a new ATV, which then will then have Apple spend more time on the product so it officially has the "hobby" tag removed from it and it becomes a product that gets updates more than every 3-4 years.

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There won't be a new Apple TV in the near future because this one is just fine for all task.

Disagree. I think we will see an app enabled version soon also capable of 4K and 802.11ac wifi, can't come soon enough for me.

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Laughing my ass off...

I paid $22,000 for my Toyota Camry in 2006. Last year Carmax only gave me $3,000 for it. It only had 172,000 miles on it.

Thanks, Obama.

 

[2010mini]

I have a 2nd gen and don't care about the jailbreak, is it worth upgrading to the 3rd Gen?

only if you want to have some extra cash in your pocket after buying a 3rd gen. You can sell yours for a couple hundred easy.