I bought a 3rd gen AppleTV (Jan 2013) a couple of days ago to replace my 2nd gen model which I moved to the bedroom. Other than the 1080p resolution are there any other major differences between the two models? Can the 3rd gen model do things that the 2nd gen can't?
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Main differences between the 3rd gen and 2nd gen AppleTV?
- Thread starter saintforlife
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From a hardware standpoint, they're nearly identical except for the resolution difference. However, recent software updates have introduced differences in effective capabilities. The biggest consequence of the software upgrades: Apple TV 2's YouTube client no longer works (that's YouTube's choice, not Apple's), and new Apple TV channels/options won't show on version 2.
My guess is that as time goes on, more online streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) will change their client delivery too, reducing the 2nd gen to playback from local iTunes libraries only-- which it does quite well, I'll admit, as I still have two 2nd gens as well as one 3rd gen.
My guess is that as time goes on, more online streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) will change their client delivery too, reducing the 2nd gen to playback from local iTunes libraries only-- which it does quite well, I'll admit, as I still have two 2nd gens as well as one 3rd gen.
My girlfriend has a 3rd gen, I'm still on the 2nd gen. Her icons look different than mine. Aside from that and the resolution difference, I haven't noticed anything. A lot of people seem to go for the 2nd gen for deploying 3rd party interfaces/software.
Second gen can be jailbroken, and for a while (not sure if it's still the case) they were getting quite a premium on eBay because of this. They were selling for around $200, so enough to get 2 new ones.
apple has also stopped releasing software updates for the aTV2 almost a year ago, so any newer or future channels they release may not be available
apple has also stopped releasing software updates for the aTV2 almost a year ago, so any newer or future channels they release may not be available
The 2nd gen Apple TV has an Apple A4 processor chip (same as in an iPhone 4), and the 3rd gen has an A5 (same as in an iPhone 4S). Note that the iPhone 4 can't run iOS 8 or newer (e.g. it's no longer supported by OS updates), while the 4S can run the latest iOS 9 beta. Seems to be the same with the Apple TV.