Is a 3rd gen Apple TV still secure to use?

[iapplelove]

Just a quick question, and with all the latest exploits I was wondering if a 3rd gen apple TV is still secure and safe to use.

I don't expect any more updates, but was curious how secure it still remains after the recent exploits. I don't really use mine much anymore and for my needs it suits me just fine. But if they are not secure and Apple wont release any new security updates I'm contemplating just picking up a 4th gen.

Thoughts? I know lots of people who still use the 3rd gen model.

Thanks!

 

[Juicy Box]

Just a quick question, and with all the latest exploits I was wondering if a 3rd gen apple TV is still secure and safe to use.

I don't expect any more updates, but was curious how secure it still remains after the recent exploits. I don't really use mine much anymore and for my needs it suits me just fine. But if they are not secure and Apple wont release any new security updates I'm contemplating just picking up a 4th gen.

Thoughts? I know lots of people who still use the 3rd gen model.

Thanks!

I didn't think of this, but I am not sure about what the impact would be of using it. I currently use 1 ATV2, 3 ATV3s, and 1 ATV4.

I think Apple still does update to the ATV3, just not as much, and not that often. In reality, it typically doesn't need updates, as it is pretty solid I think.

What do you currently do with your ATV3? If you do stuff like Netflix, and Hulu, you might be a little disappointed with the tvOS version of those apps if you upgrade to an ATV4.

 

[Wackery]

it’s using an A5 chip on old software, it’s compromised

 

[iapplelove]

it’s using an A5 chip on old software, it’s compromised

That’s what I thought. I’m gonna pick up a ATV4 this weekend.

 

[TC_GoldRush]

That’s what I thought. I’m gonna pick up a ATV4 this weekend.

You should honestly be fine, I'm an XP & Mac OSX 10.9 hold out. Those are two heavily exploited/compromised systems and I'm doing fine. So your Apple TV (3g) should be fine.

 

[Juicy Box]

That’s what I thought. I’m gonna pick up a ATV4 this weekend.

You should honestly be fine, I'm an XP & Mac OSX 10.9 hold out. Those are two heavily exploited/compromised systems and I'm doing fine. So your Apple TV (3g) should be fine.

Yea, I think using an ATV3 would be fine. Maybe I am unsure about how the exploits work, but really what could be done to compromise your ATV?

Wouldn't it need to be targeted remotely? What are the chances of that?

 

[iapplelove]

Yea, I think using an ATV3 would be fine. Maybe I am unsure about how the exploits work, but really what could be done to compromise your ATV?

Wouldn't it need to be targeted remotely? What are the chances of that?

I rather not even gamble. I also was wondering what the chances would be as well. But seeing I was logged in with my Apple ID, google ID and my email for my ISP (to watch cable channels) I rather not even risk it on a device with zero security patches.

The new ATV is only 150 for a 32gb so it won’t really break the bank I guess. Might as well upgrade, I’ve been holding onto this relic since the begining anyways lol it’s old and only worked with a Ethernet cable.

 

[Juicy Box]

The new ATV is only 150 for a 32gb so it won’t really break the bank I guess. Might as well upgrade, I’ve been holding onto this relic since the begining anyways lol it’s old and only worked with a Ethernet cable.

Apple has them refurbished for $129 for the 32GB one, and $139 for the 64GB one.

You will probably be disappointed with the UI on a lot of the Apps like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube.

I wish Apple would release their ATV3 version of apps for the tvOS.

 

[iapplelove]

Apple has them refurbished for $129 for the 32GB one, and $139 for the 64GB one.

You will probably be disappointed with the UI on a lot of the Apps like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube.

I wish Apple would release their ATV3 version of apps for the tvOS.

Shoot I use YouTube a bunch. I’m not even really a fan of the app on the 3rd gen hope it’s not much worse.

The 3gen just lags so much though.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Save a little further buddy and go for the ATV 4K. It's truly fantastic!
I LOVED my ATV3 at the time and indeed the ATV2. A lot of my friends still use the ATV3.
Apple are so strict about security, i'm totally sure that they would have done something fast if they were not secure little boxes. Put it another way, do you honestly think those cheap little Roku and Amazon boxes are as safe? No way! They are cheaply made for maximum profit. ATV meets all of Apple's criteria. The ATV3 is still a quality product.

 

[Juicy Box]

I’m not even really a fan of the app on the 3rd gen hope it’s not much worse.

The ATV3 version of YouTube is very basic, but the tvOS version is barebones.

For example, when watching a YouTube video on the ATV3, and you press pause, a menu pops up showing the next video, related videos, and show you the channel of the video. You can select the channel, view other videos within the channel, and subscribe to the channel right from there.

The tvOS version doesn't have any of that. The only way to subscribe to a channel of a video that is currently playing is to do a search of the channel name. With many channels having crazy spellings and special characters, searching is not always easy.

That is just one example of many things missing.
[doublepost=1516819388][/doublepost]

The 3gen just lags so much though

I haven't experience this on my ATV3, but I have on my ATV2.

But, the ATV4 does experience the occasional input lag from the Siri Remote. It also has bugs that seem to come and go with tvOS updates.

 

[iapplelove]

The ATV3 version of YouTube is very basic, but the tvOS version is barebones.

For example, when watching a YouTube video on the ATV3, and you press pause, a menu pops up showing the next video, related videos, and show you the channel of the video. You can select the channel, view other videos within the channel, and subscribe to the channel right from there.

The tvOS version doesn't have any of that. The only way to subscribe to a channel of a video that is currently playing is to do a search of the channel name. With many channels having crazy spellings and special characters, searching is not always easy.

That is just one example of many things missing.
[doublepost=1516819388][/doublepost]

I haven't experience this on my ATV3, but I have on my ATV2.

But, the ATV4 does experience the occasional input lag from the Siri Remote. It also has bugs that seem to come and go with tvOS updates.

Will it allow you to log into your YouTube account and view history ?

If so that’s really all I need, as I can search what I want to watch on one of my devices then bring up my history list on the ATV.

So far I’m not excited to upgrade lol

 

[Juicy Box]

Will it allow you to log into your YouTube account and view history ?

If so that’s really all I need, as I can search what I want to watch on one of my devices then bring up my history list on the ATV.

So far I’m not excited to upgrade lol

Yes, you can log onto your account and view your history and subscribed channels.

 

[benji888]

Shoot I use YouTube a bunch. I’m not even really a fan of the app on the 3rd gen hope it’s not much worse.

The 3gen just lags so much though.

YouTube sucks on any ATV, I often end up using iOS device and airplay , but, yeah, you can view history, subscribed channels and all that.

Lag? well, I find the UI is fast on ATV3, but, if you mean internet lag, yeah, the 4 is better, has much better wifi and 1G ethernet. But, UI/UX isn't perfect...IDK, if lag is a concern, maybe consider the ATV 4K (yes, it'll work with a 1080p HDTV), if price, go for the ATV 4 refurbished on apple's website, it comes with new warranty, and can add AppleCare if you want. I've bought apple refurbished devices, they look and work like new.

Either way, you'll find a lot more "channels", and, I happen to like the siri remote, if you press pause, you can slide through the content, many times with a thumbnail of the show, and, of course, siri search, and up next are great, (tho., Netflix doesn't do up next ).

 

[iapplelove]

YouTube sucks on any ATV, I often end up using iOS device and airplay , but, yeah, you can view history, subscribed channels and all that.

Lag? well, I find the UI is fast on ATV3, but, if you mean internet lag, yeah, the 4 is better, has much better wifi and 1G ethernet. But, UI/UX isn't perfect...IDK, if lag is a concern, maybe consider the ATV 4K (yes, it'll work with a 1080p HDTV), if price, go for the ATV 4 refurbished on apple's website, it comes with new warranty, and can add AppleCare if you want. I've bought apple refurbished devices, they look and work like new.

Either way, you'll find a lot more "channels", and, I happen to like the siri remote, if you press pause, you can slide through the content, many times with a thumbnail of the show, and, of course, siri search, and up next are great, (tho., Netflix doesn't do up next ).

Nice! Yeah mine lags even when scrolling through channels. Sometimes I will hit up or down and it won’t do anything. Then it will go nuts cause I’ve hit up or down a few too many times.

Also I had to shut off WiFi and go Ethernet because it would lose connection so much. AirPlay was 50/50.

 

[Juicy Box]

Lag? well, I find the UI is fast on ATV3

This has been my experience as well on the ATV3.

if you mean internet lag, yeah, the 4 is better, has much better wifi and 1G ethernet.

The ATV4k has Gigabit Ethernet, but the ATV4 does not.

But, UI/UX isn't perfect...IDK

This has also been my experience with the ATV4 and tvOS.

Nice! Yeah mine lags even when scrolling through channels. Sometimes I will hit up or down and it won’t do anything. Then it will go nuts cause I’ve hit up or down a few too many times.

Also I had to shut off WiFi and go Ethernet because it would lose connection so much. AirPlay was 50/50.

I wonder if you might have some hardware issues, or if a factory reset might help you out. I have three ATV3s, and none of them have these issues. For many things, I prefer the ATV3 over the ATV4.

A factory reset might be worth a try. Especially if you are thinking of getting rid of it.

 

[TC_GoldRush]

Apple has them refurbished for $129 for the 32GB one, and $139 for the 64GB one.

You will probably be disappointed with the UI on a lot of the Apps like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube.

I wish Apple would release their ATV3 version of apps for the tvOS.

ewwww refurbs

 

[iapplelove]

Any benifit or buying the 4K version over the 4th gen version? Even if I don’t have a 4K TV? The price is relatively similar, and will most likely pick one up this sat.

 

[Juicy Box]

ewwww refurbs

There is a difference between refurbished and Apple refurbished devices.

I have purchased many Apple refurbished devices over the years, including a Mac Pro, ATVs, iPods, AirPorts, and others. I have never had an issue with any of them, and besides some of the boxes they came in, you would never ever know they are refurbished just by looking at them.
[doublepost=1516825107][/doublepost]

Any benifit or buying the 4K version over the 4th gen version? Even if I don’t have a 4K TV? The price is relatively similar, and will most likely pick one up this sat.

If you were going to pay full price, I would go for the 4k, not only is it more future proof, it has a faster and newer processor, faster Ethernet, and it is just a little more money than the ATV4.

If you found a deal on the ATV4, and you didn't have a 4K TV, then I would probably just go with that if you wanted to save money.

 

[mattopotamus]

There is a difference between refurbished and Apple refurbished devices.

I have purchased many Apple refurbished devices over the years, including a Mac Pro, ATVs, iPods, AirPorts, and others. I have never had an issue with any of them, and besides some of the boxes they came in, you would never ever know they are refurbished just by looking at them.
[doublepost=1516825107][/doublepost]
If you were going to pay full price, I would go for the 4k, not only is it more future proof, it has a faster and newer processor, faster Ethernet, and it is just a little more money than the ATV4.

If you found a deal on the ATV4, and you didn't have a 4K TV, then I would probably just go with that if you wanted to same money.

seriously. They come with the same warranty and are virtually brand new products. No one would ever know they are refurbs without white box.

 

[Juicy Box]

seriously. They come with the same warranty and are virtually brand new products. No one would ever know they are refurbs without white box.

This is true. Here are some Apple Refurbished Facts from MR...

The biggest issue I have with Apple's refurbished is that you can't do BTO options, which make sense, but it makes it impossible to get the Macs I want with the BTO options. But, for everything else, you would be saving money on something that you were about to pay full price on.

Also, there was a few times, one being an ATV3, I think the refurbished I bought was actually a new one. It didn't come in the typically brown refurbished box, but the regular ATV3 box, and it was sealed.

 

[iapplelove]

Thanks for all the replies! And after this I’m feelin the 4K Apple TV is the way to go.

I tend to keep devices a while. So this will have the longest legs

 

[benji888]

...
The ATV4k has Gigabit Ethernet, but the ATV4 does not.

...

my bad, yeah, the ATV4 has much better WiFi, (ac & MIMO)...the 4K goes further with simultaneous dual band (2.4/5K).

Any benifit or buying the 4K version over the 4th gen version? Even if I don’t have a 4K TV? The price is relatively similar, and will most likely pick one up this sat.

Thanks for all the replies! And after this I’m feelin the 4K Apple TV is the way to go.

I tend to keep devices a while. So this will have the longest legs

The ATV 4K has the A10X over the ATV4's A8. From what I've read, people are saying the 4K is very fast.

If you keep it long-term, go for the ATV 4K, I've read people hooking them up to 1080p HDTVs just fine. (check out AVSforum , for apple tv threads.)

 

[Tech198]

Just a quick question, and with all the latest exploits I was wondering if a 3rd gen apple TV is still secure and safe to use.

I don't expect any more updates, but was curious how secure it still remains after the recent exploits. I don't really use mine much anymore and for my needs it suits me just fine. But if they are not secure and Apple wont release any new security updates I'm contemplating just picking up a 4th gen.

Thoughts? I know lots of people who still use the 3rd gen model.

Thanks!

,

I don't care about the security on AppleTV's, because they are not like a Mac, when they will run anything..No web browser for one.

I worry more about the features that i we hate to stay with 3rd gen... as well

Still going strong here... I've switched it onto eithernet away from Wif-fi, as there is issues on the last update.

Not due to signal strength, It keeps disconnecting in the middle of playback... regardless of a restore.

It could be due to placement, but if it was it would happen more often.

 

[iapplelove]

Finally got around to pickup up my Apple TV 4K 32gb.

I love it so far, love the OS. It’s quick, looks great and even though I’m not using a 4K tv I feel the picture looks better than my 3rd gen.