Has Apple just abandoned AppleTV?

[simonmet]

I’m not buying a 3 year-old device when newer (and more efficient) versions of the chips they use are already available with even newer ones imminent.

I wait with baited breath.

 

[Rigby]

The ATV4k was ahead of the competition with things like 4K Dolby Vision, Atmos, app/channel aggregation functionality etc. There still isn't any important feature that it doesn't support. I'd rather Apple take their time and add some forward-looking features, such as HDMI 2.1 and hardware support for new codecs such as H.266 and AV1, instead of making a new model just to make a new model.

Besides, the age of the 4K isn't unusual. The ATV3 was on the market for 3.5 years until the ATV4 came out.

 

[Bandaman]

Yes they abandoned it with the frequent updates it’s been receiving for years including the recent iOS 14 update. You might as well throw it away.

 

[artfossil]

Apple Working on Apple TV Models With A12 and A14 Chips, New Controller, and More

Several rumors have indicated that Apple is working on a refreshed Apple TV, and Fudge, a leaker who goes by @choco_bit on Twitter, today shared some new information on what we can expect. In a tweet, Fudge claims that Apple is preparing multiple new Apple TV set-top boxes, with a model...

www.macrumors.com

 

[Bandaman]

Apple Working on Apple TV Models With A12 and A14 Chips, New Controller, and More

Several rumors have indicated that Apple is working on a refreshed Apple TV, and Fudge, a leaker who goes by @choco_bit on Twitter, today shared some new information on what we can expect. In a tweet, Fudge claims that Apple is preparing multiple new Apple TV set-top boxes, with a model...

www.macrumors.com

Oh look ... it's not abandoned.

 

[Madonepro]

There has been a few threads lately with similar topics, my thoughts about the Apple TV is that Apple just doesn't really care about it, and hasn't for a while.

The ATV4K could be so much more than what it currently is, but with little attention from Apple, it will probably just remain an overpowered, but overprice streaming box.

There isn't any apps on tvOS that fully utilize the potential power of the A10X, so HW wise, the Apple TV 4K is way more powerful than most (or all) of the competition.

But, an argument could be made questioning if all that power is even needed for what the ATV4K is currently being used for.


You can just look at the advertising and promotion of the Apple TV+ service, and compare it to the advertising of the Apple TV (all generations) to see how little Apple cares about the Apple TV.

It seems like I have seen more advertising for the Apple TV+ in the last month than all the advertising for every Apple TV generation combined since the launch in 2007.


I wouldn't quite say abandoned it, but maybe ignoring and neglecting it.

Just look at the 2020 WWDC. Apple spend more time of the keynote talking about hand washing than the entire tvOS portion (minus the ATV+ part).



It seems like developers are starting to abandon tvOS. Everyday, more and more of my tvOS version apps stop working. The iOS versions continue to be updated, but the tvOS versions stopped getting updates, or are being pulled from the tvOS App Store.

In the words of the late Steve Jobs - the Apple TV is a hobby.
I agree with a lot of comments above, what is there to change, other than a processor bump, it's the software that drives the user experience. App developers have been lazy on this platform, other than a few gaming developers, no one seems to be bothered. At this stage, with the Apple TV 4K and it's A10X it's plenty fast enough. Sure you could add faster wifi, I prefer using ethernet for this device, as the bandwidth on a wireless router impacts on it's use elsewhere.
There will of course be an upgrade, but apple don't upgrade these products that often, who knows why, but I'd guess it's a lot of hard work, for what result? Mac mini, Mac Pro and the iMac are examples of products that are often longer in the tooth that users on here would like. Right now, I'm guessing the pandemic is having a major say on many things, the news today of there being something in the works is encouraging, but people need to chill a little.
We don't decide what Apple will make, they will do that themselves, based on their research into user experience, and the drive that has been the culture since day one, to make the best. If they can't, they won't.

 

[nickdalzell1]

What is it with folks always upgrading devices that still work? I only replace stuff when it is broken, as in let out the magic smoke broken.

Heck, I'm still using a PowerBook G4, a 2012 Samsung Galaxy Tab, a Samsung Galaxy S4, and whatever generation my ATV4K and regular ATV are. They all still work, and satisfy my needs, and many do more than a modern device does and look unique. What is this mindset that a device needs replacing every couple of years?

I am also finding that I'm like the last guy left who still has his entire collection of music on his phone. I recently installed a Bluetooth stereo in a person's golf car and as soon as I tried helping her play her music, she looked at me like I had two heads when I said 'find the songs on your phone, open your music player and hit play'. She wanted to use Youtube to play videos through a radio, and when I said 'no you have to select songs on your phone' it didn't register one bit. She said 'i have no songs on my phone I just use Youtube'

Just had to facepalm there. Has it been really that long already? What we got are iPhone 11 Pros with what? 256GB of space, and no music? What happened to '1,000 songs in your pocket?'

 

[Wolfpup]

It seems like I have seen more advertising for the Apple TV+ in the last month than all the advertising for every Apple TV generation combined since the launch in 2007.

Yikes...I’d not thought of that but that may literally be true.


[It seems like developers are starting to abandon tvOS. Everyday, more and more of my tvOS version apps stop working. The iOS versions continue to be updated, but the tvOS versions stopped getting updates, or are being pulled from the tvOS App Store.
[/QUOTE]

Do you know off hand what that’s happened to? I wasn’t aware of that at all, and that’s rather disturbing, particularly if it’s any remotely major services.

Guys, I can solve this (cracks knuckles).

All I have to do is upgrade my ATV4 to an ATV4K. Apple would then see fit to release a new box the following week.

I’ll think about it.

I know, right? 😂 had I bought one 2.5 years ago when I almost did, it would have released.

I think the main concern is that the A10X is going to get cut off from updates soon so it makes the AppleTV a risky buy.

yep. Who knows for sure what their plans are, but so far the longest supported cpu is the iPad Air 2/A8x, which is going to go to at least roughly 7 years, but 5 is much more common, and some may not have made it to 2.
It wouldn’t shock me if the current model is dumped in less than a year, or less than 2.

Oh look ... it's not abandoned.

What is it with folks always upgrading devices that still work? I only replace stuff when it is broken, as in let out the magic smoke broken.

So do I, but I’m not buying a device for $180 that may have less than a year of support left, precisely because I don’t like having to dump working devices.

Heck, I'm still using a PowerBook G4, a 2012 Samsung Galaxy Tab, a Samsung Galaxy S4

Those may all power on, but none of them are safe to use online.

 

[JBaby]

What is it with folks always upgrading devices that still work? I only replace stuff when it is broken, as in let out the magic smoke broken.

Heck, I'm still using a PowerBook G4, a 2012 Samsung Galaxy Tab, a Samsung Galaxy S4, and whatever generation my ATV4K and regular ATV are. They all still work, and satisfy my needs, and many do more than a modern device does and look unique. What is this mindset that a device needs replacing every couple of years?

I am also finding that I'm like the last guy left who still has his entire collection of music on his phone. I recently installed a Bluetooth stereo in a person's golf car and as soon as I tried helping her play her music, she looked at me like I had two heads when I said 'find the songs on your phone, open your music player and hit play'. She wanted to use Youtube to play videos through a radio, and when I said 'no you have to select songs on your phone' it didn't register one bit. She said 'i have no songs on my phone I just use Youtube'

Just had to facepalm there. Has it been really that long already? What we got are iPhone 11 Pros with what? 256GB of space, and no music? What happened to '1,000 songs in your pocket?'

I have Music, but I still have those songs downloaded to my phone. That’s why I have the 256GB phone. I want enough space for my music and audiobooks. That’s a big deal now that Audible is abandoning low quality downloads. You can only get the super high quality files. Those files are huge depending on the length of the book.

 

[nickdalzell1]

Everyone who buys stereos at the shop have never heard of downloading music. I still can't grasp that. They only know Youtube, Pandora (in the ad infested form too) and that's it. That couple's iPhone 11 Pro had NOTHING installed except Facebook and Youtube. 256GB and nothing on it. They could have been happy using a 3GS. Makes me wonder why anyone bothers upgrading!

Couldn't make them happy though, they couldn't grasp that a RADIO can't view video. They also had no mobile signal (they were bleeding off our work's wifi) so soon as they would take off the music would stop. I just had to walk away to avoid being rude and let the boss handle it. She got them to install Pandora (which still stalled the instant they left the parking lot) oh well.

 

[Runs For Fun]

What is it with folks always upgrading devices that still work? I only replace stuff when it is broken, as in let out the magic smoke broken.

Heck, I'm still using a PowerBook G4, a 2012 Samsung Galaxy Tab, a Samsung Galaxy S4, and whatever generation my ATV4K and regular ATV are. They all still work, and satisfy my needs, and many do more than a modern device does and look unique. What is this mindset that a device needs replacing every couple of years?

I am also finding that I'm like the last guy left who still has his entire collection of music on his phone. I recently installed a Bluetooth stereo in a person's golf car and as soon as I tried helping her play her music, she looked at me like I had two heads when I said 'find the songs on your phone, open your music player and hit play'. She wanted to use Youtube to play videos through a radio, and when I said 'no you have to select songs on your phone' it didn't register one bit. She said 'i have no songs on my phone I just use Youtube'

Just had to facepalm there. Has it been really that long already? What we got are iPhone 11 Pros with what? 256GB of space, and no music? What happened to '1,000 songs in your pocket?'

Yikes! Those old Android devices have more security holes than Swiss cheese. I would not feel safe using those.

 

[Juicy Box]

In the words of the late Steve Jobs - the Apple TV is a hobby.

Tim Cook said six years ago that he would stop referring the Apple TV as a hobby after the Apple TV made Apple over a billion dollar revenue from ATV sales, and iTunes sales and rentals.

With the launch of the tvOS, that was suppose to be a new beginning for the Apple TV. The rumors leading up the the Apple TV 4 (HD) showed that Apple wanted the tvOS and the Apple TV to be something big.

But, what Apple delivered in 2015 wasn't what was rumored, and while a lot of the issues were corrected over the years, and with the A10X in the ATV4K, it appears that Apple is now treating the ATV as a hobby again.

App developers have been lazy on this platform, other than a few gaming developers, no one seems to be bothered.

I think you are right, but it isn't like developers have tried in the past, and when tvOS first launched, Apple made it very unfriendly towards developers.

With the horrible 200MB limit for static storage, and the Siri Remote requirement, these two things alone probably deterred the majority of AAA developers. The (relatively) slow A8 instead of the A9X also probably played a factor in making developers reluctant to dedicate resources to tvOS.

Even though Apple has since walked back these ridiculous requirements and the ATV4K had the A10X, I think the damaged was done.

The few developers that manage to work around the missteps that Apple made in the beginning are now starting to abandon tvOS. Many apps on tvOS are no longer working, no longer being updated, or just pulled from the tvOS App Store, while their iOS counterparts are still getting updates.

I don't blame them, as why should they care about developing for the tvOS when Apple doesn't seem to care about it.

 

[Juicy Box]

Maybe. But  kept the 3rd Gen around long past when I think they should’ve EOLed it. tv HD is still getting updates.

The Apple 3 is still getting updates after all these years.

 

[Juicy Box]

Yes they abandoned it with the frequent updates it’s been receiving for years

Besides a number change, has it really been getting updates?

Barely anything has changed on the OS in the passed five years, and the few things that have changed really should have been there at the launch of tvOS.

 

[Juicy Box]

Apple Working on Apple TV Models With A12 and A14 Chips, New Controller, and More

Several rumors have indicated that Apple is working on a refreshed Apple TV, and Fudge, a leaker who goes by @choco_bit on Twitter, today shared some new information on what we can expect. In a tweet, Fudge claims that Apple is preparing multiple new Apple TV set-top boxes, with a model...

www.macrumors.com

Oh look ... it's not abandoned.

I wouldn't hold your breath.

We have been seeing rumors of a new Apple TV for a long while now.

 

[Bandaman]

Besides a number change, has it really been getting updates?

Barely anything has changed on the OS in the passed five years, and the few things that have changed really should have been there at the launch of tvOS.

Yes it has ... such as supporting new features like AirPlay 2. Sounds like you'd rather the device actually receive no updates. 🙄

I wouldn't hold your breath.

We have been seeing rumors of a new Apple TV for a long while now.

Still not abandoned.

 

[Juicy Box]

Yes it has ... such as supporting new features like AirPlay 2. Sounds like you'd rather the device actually receive no updates. 🙄

The Apple TV 3 is still getting SW updates, but I hardly think that it is a priority for Apple.

Also, if AirPlay 2 is the best example of an update, I think that kind of makes the OP's point. BTW, the AirPort Express also got AirPlay 2.

I personally wouldn't say Apple has completely abandoned the Apple TV and tvOS, but I think it is a low priority for them.

 

[Bandaman]

The Apple TV 3 is still getting SW updates, but I hardly think that it is a priority for Apple.

Also, if AirPlay 2 is the best example of an update, I think that kind of makes the OP's point.

I personally wouldn't say Apple has completely abandoned the Apple TV and tvOS, but I think it is a low priority for them.

The Apple TV 3 is hot garbage and you can't install any third-party apps. You can still AirPlay to it, kind of, but that is definitely abandonware. And no, there is absolutely nothing wrong with feature parity with other iDevices so they remain compatible year after year. Maybe stop being so negative.

 

[Juicy Box]

The Apple TV 3 is hot garbage

Why?

you can't install any third-party apps.

While this sucks, the old UI on the ATV3 version of apps tends to be better than current versions on tvOS.

If I could get a few more newer apps on my ATV3s (Disney+, Plex, etc.), I would have never had to use Amazon Fire devices on my secondary TVs.

The Apple TV 3's UI and speed is preferable to the Fire devices.

You can still AirPlay to it, kind of

Why only "kind of"?

but that is definitely abandonware.

But, it is still getting updates, just like tvOS.

 

[Bandaman]

Why?


While this sucks, the old UI on the ATV3 version of apps tends to be better than current versions on tvOS.

If I could get a few more newer apps on my ATV3s (Disney+, Plex, etc.), I would have never had to use Amazon Fire devices on my secondary TVs.

The Apple TV 3's UI and speed is preferable to the Fire devices.


Why only "kind of"?


But, it is still getting updates, just like tvOS.

It’s not getting updates. I haven’t gotten an update on ATV3 in a long time. The UI is better to you, yes. I hate the old UI.

 

[Juicy Box]

It’s not getting updates. I haven’t gotten an update on ATV3 in a long time.

Have you checked it lately?

There was an update two weeks ago.

 

[Juicy Box]

Have you checked it lately?

There was an update two weeks ago.

Here is the MR thread on it:

Apple TV 3rd Generation Updated Today

I have a 3rd generation Apple TV running in our guest bedroom. While updating to iOS and tvOS 14 I figured I’d check if the old Apple TV had an update. To my surprise update 7.6 was available. I just recently updated to 7.5 in April. Have any of you been able to find any details about this...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[Bandaman]

Have you checked it lately?

There was an update two weeks ago.

Here is the MR thread on it:

Apple TV 3rd Generation Updated Today

I have a 3rd generation Apple TV running in our guest bedroom. While updating to iOS and tvOS 14 I figured I’d check if the old Apple TV had an update. To my surprise update 7.6 was available. I just recently updated to 7.5 in April. Have any of you been able to find any details about this...

forums.macrumors.com

That entire thread is people discussing how hot garbage it is.

 

[Juicy Box]

That entire thread is people discussing how hot garbage it is.

The update is problematic, not the device. You can't really go by a lot of those comments though, as the YouTube problems seemed to have been fixed on YouTube's end.

Besides, the point of posting the thread was to show that just because something is getting updates doesn't mean the updates are meaningful, nor does it mean not mean the Apple has not abandoned the device.

definitely abandonware.

But, just like the tvOS devices, it is still getting updates.

Maybe stop being so negative.

I do not think I have been that negative when talking about the Apple TV.

I have said on this thread, and many other threads that the Apple TV is still the best streaming device out there, but also just stating my disappointment with the missteps Apple took at the launch of tvOS and the lack of attention the Apple TV and tvOS has gotten.

Actually, you have been more negative when talking about the Apple TV than I have on this thread. Maybe you should stop being so negative:

The Apple TV 3 is hot garbage

 

[boltjames]

What do those newer released streaming boxes have that is lacking on the current Apple TV?

I'm an Apple TV fan, had the first one on the first day of release and updated multiple units two times to better hardware, but these are two things that are very important to me now that I've experienced the competition:

1. Unlike Roku and others in the space, Apple TV does not plug directly into an HDMI port without a cable and requires a traditional power outlet. It's a major benefit for those of us with tricky in-wall installations and/or who travel to have a device that is small, light, and use USB ports on the TV itself for power.

2. I am completely over the touch surface remote control. It's inaccurate and frustrating. Apps are a lot more sophisticated today then they were 5 years ago, more submenus and click points and queues to navigate, and having a traditional remote with a traditional D-pad is a huge benefit.

I love Apple, I've invested heavily in the ATV hardware and the ecosystem, but the reality is that when given a choice between accessing YouTube on my Sony TV, my Apple TV, or my Roku, I'm not gravitating to Apple TV at all. It's been reduced to a benign component of my HomePod/Apple Music experience and the twice-a-year "let's watch home movies, dad" moment.