Teardown of New Apple TV Reveals Same 8 GB Flash Storage, Bump to 512 MB RAM

[RedCroissant]

apps on AppleTV

Not gonna happen. You more than likely need Intel Quick Sync.

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Why do you need to run Apps on the ATV with Airplay around?

What if you don't have any devices other than the AppleTV?

I was also under the impression that not everything was Airplay enabled. Now if there is true Airplay mirroring that works well, then I wouldn't see the need for apps.

 

[JohnDoe98]

What if you don't have any devices other than the AppleTV?

Well Apple's goal is to sell hardware, so they would likely say tough luck. You want apps, get another Apple device.

I was also under the impression that not everything was Airplay enabled. Now if there is true Airplay mirroring that works well, then I wouldn't see the need for apps.

Airplay mirroring works very well with the new devices, i.e. Intel icore technology, iPhone 4s and iPad 3. So, yes you need the latest hardware, but what would you expect?

 

[tbayrgs]

I bought one this afternoon, and it is worth noting that this generation DOES support 5GHz 802.11n. (The 2nd gen supported N, but only 2.4GHz.)

Sorry, but simply incorrect. Mine is connected to my 5 GHz network.

 

[dommeister]

Agreed, Netflix and playing tunes through it are just the two main reasons I bought it. AirPlay has made it and my iPad two pieces of tech I can't love without.

You can't "LOVE" without them.. Damn, you're a really messed up person ;D

I guess you recognise that the "LOVE" is probably a typo where Digital Skunk meant "LIVE". The letter "i" is to the right of the letter "o" on a QWERTY keyboard.

An easy mistake to make especially considering his enthuasiam for what he can do with the kit he has got .

BTW, looking forward to having an iPad (3rd generation) with the new TV.

 

[RedCroissant]

apps and airplay mirroring

Well Apple's goal is to sell hardware, so they would likely say tough luck. You want apps, get another Apple device.



Airplay mirroring works very well with the new devices, i.e. Intel icore technology, iPhone 4s and iPad 3. So, yes you need the latest hardware, but what would you expect?

And you want to know something awesome?I just tried it and it works better than I thought it would. For some reason I was confusing mirroring with individual app publishers having to make their apps airplay enabled. I still think having apps on the AppleTV would be good though. There is something to be said for mirroring, but I would prefer an app made specifically for the AppleTV that can adjust to the size of the TV. Right now, I just tested out a couple of ABC/NBC/CBS apps and they did mirror, but I didn't get the full screen resolution.

 

[Dustman]

With 2gb RAM and over-clocked A6 Quad chip that ATV could be quite good gaming platform also. More powerful than Nintendo Wii thats for sure.

In the same case it'd be molten.

 

[tlinford]

AirPlay and more.

Are you serious? AppleTV is awesome. I love mine. And at $99 it's a no-brainer.

I got an TV2 mainly for AirPlay streaming home movies. It is so much more that this... I am enjoying streaming all manner of stuff from my mac have rented some movies.... I just wish that would build in some more iOS functionality, like Safari.... Yes I can mirror from an iPad...

This is a great little device, much more than the hobbyist label that it has been accociated with...

 

[2IS]

The people that were holding out for a fullhd atv should get this one. But people who already have one are not going to be pushed to swap theirs.

This isn't really a significant upgrade like the the new iPad. And I can't believe it still doesn't have gigabit ethernet! Must be expensive

It doesn't need GBe. What for? I doubt your internet connection is going to saturate a 100mb connection and anything you're streaming from your own LAN that needs more than 100mbps is easily going to be limited by the ATVs processing capacity well before you saturate a 100mb pipe.

 

[charlituna]

Netflix has very limited 1080p

`
it's $8.00 a month and looks fine. Not theatre quality but watchable. Which is exactly what all the sensible folks expect for the price. If they wanted theatre quality they know they would be paying $8+ a movie and having to drive somewhere with the equipment to support it.

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It's pretty nice for $99. It's gonna be amazing to see when the real Apple Tv comes out.

You assume that this isn't the 'real' Apple TV. Or even that the price would be $3000

There are other reasons why Apple could be looking at display tech, just cause they are talking to Sharp etc doesn't mean they are working on a TV set.

And for those saying 'but with so many rumors' lets not forget about last year's iPhone 5. So many rumors, so very much didn't happen

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I have to say though, Apple have really missed a trick and extra revenue by not having Apps for the ATV3,

Many apps would be unsuited for the ATV. The ones that are have content Apple would have to negotiate for access and they have for many. Hulu is likely holding out for their own reasons.

The games and such have to be modified to work in such a set up and would require you to have an iPhone, iPad etc to act as a controller. So coding it to work with Airplay is just as effective as having it on the Apple TV. Even apps that aren't coded for Airplay like Real Racing HD still look okay through Mirroring.

Local pub by my place did that with their old ATV2 a few months ago and would have game nights when there wasn't a sports game on. It's fun watching a bunch of half drunk guys playing video games off their iPhones.

 

[macmastersam]

i'm actually quite pleased with the new apple TV... as long as it can manage 1080p video like it says on the box then that's all im pleased with!

 

[charlituna]

Each Apple TV probably costs 5 dollars to make. Massive profits for Apple once again.

Or not. Parts might be $5-10 dollars but there's also going to be labor to assemble it, shipping to get it to you or a store and don't forget that half those parts probably have patent license fees.

My guess, Apple might make $5 a box on the unit and then 30% of the subscriber fee for netflix etc IF they paid through the Apple Store and maybe a flat fee to be included from the other folks that could give them a dollar or two per unit per app

The 30% from movie rentals etc, we have already heard rumored, comes out to maybe a couple of pennies of actual profit after the server etc costs.

So no, Apple likely isn't raking in the money off this. If anything they are bleeding it as a loss leader to encourage buying the iPad etc

 

[ChrisTX]

I've been meaning to make it down to the new Highland Village Apple store, and when I do. I will pick up a new Apple TV.

 

[richman555]

The new Apple TV is more about removing many of the complaints about it not being 1080p.

Slowly but surely, Apple is giving you fewer reasons to not own one.

 

[charlituna]

That would sure expand the device in non-American markets.

They don't need to add an app store for that. They just need to convince Netflix etc to remove the regional restricted stick out of their butts.

It would help in the iTunes Store as well. The nets etc talk about not wanting to make things like Amazon and iTunes quicker, better or cheaper because it promotes piracy by giving them better access to nice files to spread around. What they don't realize is how much of the folks that would download those files do it because you air a show and don't post the eps until almost a year later. or it airs in one country, six months later in another, but you have to wait a year after that to get the downloads the first country had as it airs. And in the US, only some perhaps 100k folks are tracked for the precious ratings to judge shows so why not just torrent, no one notices in the end. So there's another reason to just torrent.

But if they posted within a week tops of the OTA, to all stores worldwide, at a decent pricing many of those torrent users would stop because they have access from the source. If the nets would count those buys with the ratings, more would stop because buying would be a 'vote' to keep the show on the air. Post with decent quality and pricing and with the same audio/subtitle files and features on a season pass as you put on the disks and folks are less inclined to just wait for that and the nets have the money when they need it most, during the season. Perhaps then we would see a reduction in piracy (it will never completely end) and a rise in decent shows being able to stick around. No more peanuts and plastic dinosaurs and such being mailed to nets for canceling decent shows like Jericho or Terra Nova and replacing them with yet another lame reality crap (what they need to do to make shows actually good is a different thread for another board)

 

[firstapple]

Or not. Parts might be $5-10 dollars but there's also going to be labor to assemble it, shipping to get it to you or a store and don't forget that half those parts probably have patent license fees.

My guess, Apple might make $5 a box on the unit and then 30% of the subscriber fee for netflix etc IF they paid through the Apple Store and maybe a flat fee to be included from the other folks that could give them a dollar or two per unit per app

The 30% from movie rentals etc, we have already heard rumored, comes out to maybe a couple of pennies of actual profit after the server etc costs.

So no, Apple likely isn't raking in the money off this. If anything they are bleeding it as a loss leader to encourage buying the iPad etc

I don't believe Apple would ever have a 5% margin on a product. Their typical margin is around 40% - 50%, so I expect around the same for Apple TV. I can't imagine parts/labor/shipping costing much more than $30. The only question is engineering costs, but I'm not sure how much engineering is going into these little boxes so I would say this is marginal at best.

 

[charlituna]

and apple is a business, they're not entitled to make a profit? let's bitch about dell/microsoft/hp, they all make profits too!

AND they use 'slave labor' at Foxconn to do it. So where's their Nightline story, where's Mike Daisey to make up things about them in the name of art.

 

[redfirebird08]

I don't believe Apple would ever have a 5% margin on a product. Their typical margin is around 40% - 50%, so I expect around the same for Apple TV. I can't imagine parts/labor/shipping costing much more than $30. The only question is engineering costs, but I'm not sure how much engineering is going into these little boxes so I would say this is marginal at best.

Exactly. This isn't the PS3 or XBOX where Sony and Microsoft were losing a lot of money on them. Apple never takes a loss on the products they sell. Their margins are huge on every product.

 

[charlituna]

I don't believe Apple would ever have a 5% margin on a product. Their typical margin is around 40% - 50%, so I expect around the same for Apple TV.

And I believe the one thing you can count on with Apple is that they do what they want and you can't count on any kind of trend with them. Also, I would check those margins. Many of them are based on parts only without licensing etc costs. You might find there are many things where the margin is more like $15-20%.

As for the ATV, it is a hobby and Tim Cook all buy said they use that term because it isn't a 'hero' product that makes them tons of money. It is designed to encourage folks to use the iTunes Store and to buy iPads, Macs etc and link them together on your network for fun things like enjoying your media. It is possible they are actually losing money on it at the money. But they must be fine with that or they wouldn't do it. They could probably have doubled the price as the unit is so they could make profit on it and folks would still buy it.

Exactly. This isn't the PS3 or XBOX where Sony and Microsoft were losing a lot of money on them. Apple never takes a loss on the products they sell. Their margins are huge on every product.

Was it Scott, Jonny, Phil or Tim that told you exactly how much every product costs and how much they make on it.

or are you, like so many others, basing your assumptions on things like IFixIt.com listing off replacement costs for the components and calling that the 'cost'

 

[chocolate]

Apple TV

Wonder what the price would have been if there was no Roku?

 

[redfirebird08]

And I believe the one thing you can count on with Apple is that they do what they want and you can't count on any kind of trend with them. Also, I would check those margins. Many of them are based on parts only without licensing etc costs. You might find there are many things where the margin is more like $15-20%.

As for the ATV, it is a hobby and Tim Cook all buy said they use that term because it isn't a 'hero' product that makes them tons of money. It is designed to encourage folks to use the iTunes Store and to buy iPads, Macs etc and link them together on your network for fun things like enjoying your media. It is possible they are actually losing money on it at the money. But they must be fine with that or they wouldn't do it. They could probably have doubled the price as the unit is so they could make profit on it and folks would still buy it.




Was it Scott, Jonny, Phil or Tim that told you exactly how much every product costs and how much they make on it.

or are you, like so many others, basing your assumptions on things like IFixIt.com listing off replacement costs for the components and calling that the 'cost'

I just bought 8 gigs of RAM from Crucial.com for $50 and installed it on my iMac in 5 minutes. Apple currently charges $200 for a 4 gig upgrade of the standard 4 gigs that comes in the computer. Add in the $200 they are already charging you for the initial 4 gigs and you are looking at $400 for 8 gigs. It's $800 for 16 gigs. You can buy 16 gigs of RAM from Crucial for $100 or less. Crucial is NOT losing money on the RAM I bought from them, yet Apple is charging a 700% premium even over Crucial's profit margin. That's just one of many examples where Apple is making a huge profit. There is a reason they're making bigger profits than anyone else, and it's not because they're selling loss leaders.

 

[firstapple]

And I believe the one thing you can count on with Apple is that they do what they want and you can't count on any kind of trend with them. Also, I would check those margins. Many of them are based on parts only without licensing etc costs. You might find there are many things where the margin is more like $15-20%.

As for the ATV, it is a hobby and Tim Cook all buy said they use that term because it isn't a 'hero' product that makes them tons of money. It is designed to encourage folks to use the iTunes Store and to buy iPads, Macs etc and link them together on your network for fun things like enjoying your media. It is possible they are actually losing money on it at the money. But they must be fine with that or they wouldn't do it. They could probably have doubled the price as the unit is so they could make profit on it and folks would still buy it.




Was it Scott, Jonny, Phil or Tim that told you exactly how much every product costs and how much they make on it.

or are you, like so many others, basing your assumptions on things like IFixIt.com listing off replacement costs for the components and calling that the 'cost'

Dude, we are all making assumptions here. I love how you believe your assumptions are correct and everyone else is wrong. I gave my opinion, as that's what I am here on MacRumors for. No one besides Apple will ever know the true cost and margins of their products. We are all making assumptions and we are probably all wrong. Again, no one knows the licensing fees they pay out, engineering costs, overhead costs (Rent/Utilities/Sr Management Bonuses/etc/etc/etc). All of these costs would go into the overall product cost.

 

[burne]

I think it's a nifty device but until I see xbmc/plex on it the wdtv box will be a better deal for me.

Hints:

Or not. Parts might be $5-10 dollars

We've been there a few pages ago and multiple people posted links to multiple reports showing a component-price of around $65. Parts only, no labour, no shipping, no marketing, no research, no licensing.

 

[Digital Skunk]

You forgot the third option... people who want a cheap option for streaming and interfacing with their iTunes ecosystem.

Agreed, and I personally find the iTunes ecosystem to be one of the best things Apple has created. Its on of the things that I miss as an Android user.

I guess you recognise that the "LOVE" is probably a typo where Digital Skunk meant "LIVE". The letter "i" is to the right of the letter "o" on a QWERTY keyboard.

An easy mistake to make especially considering his enthuasiam for what he can do with the kit he has got .

BTW, looking forward to having an iPad (3rd generation) with the new TV.

True, it's a funny typo I might add. To add to my love of the system, it's truly one that I use everyday both personally and professionally.

 

[JohnDoe98]

And you want to know something awesome?I just tried it and it works better than I thought it would. For some reason I was confusing mirroring with individual app publishers having to make their apps airplay enabled. I still think having apps on the AppleTV would be good though. There is something to be said for mirroring, but I would prefer an app made specifically for the AppleTV that can adjust to the size of the TV. Right now, I just tested out a couple of ABC/NBC/CBS apps and they did mirror, but I didn't get the full screen resolution.

Agreed, the resolution of the airplay could be drastically improved. Perhaps it is better with os x arirplay. I can't test it since my mbp is too old

 

[kingtj]

My only outstanding complaint with AppleTV?

I can't believe Apple didn't spend the extra $5 or $10 it would have cost them to add some more flash storage to the device?

I guess on one hand, I can respect the benefits of keeping the price point at under $100. There's definitely a psychological factor in play where people will consider even $99.99 to be "cheap enough to be worth buying just to play around with it", but anything $100+, not so much.

But as much as I liked my AppleTV box, I really don't even use it anymore, since I got a GoogleTV integrated TV set. The only real reason GoogleTV trumps AppleTV is the fact it DOES have flash storage in it just for downloading custom apps.

Apple seems like they're really missing an opportunity to add AppleTV apps to the App Store, and let people purchase them to install on their AppleTV boxes. Rather than hacking one up to run Plex, you'd be able to just pay $5 or so and legally download Plex onto it (as I did with my GoogleTV), and then get updates pushed out automatically for you too.