The third-generation Apple TV streaming media box is still losing access to its limited collection of apps, and there is no replacement product from Apple in the sub $ 100 share of the market.
Apple released the first 1080p Apple TV set-top box for $ 99, many, many, months ago in 2012. Three years later, Apple dropped the cost to the good price of $ 69 before stopping a year and a half later.
The fourth generation Apple TV technically replaced it in the series and managed a dramatically different operating system with its own App Store for games and any media applications.
The only problem is that the new 1080p streaming media box was priced at $ 149 in 2015 and still costs $ 149 in 2021. Apple TV 4K, the fifth generation box, joined in 2017 for $ 179- $ 199 and prices remain the same today.
If you just want to watch the same video services like YouTube, CBS and now MLB At Bat (H / T Joe Rossignol) without fussing with AirPlay, start your options at $ 149 if you want to stay in the Apple ecosystem.
Want to save a lot of money and not rely on AirPlay? Media streaming sticks are regularly priced from $ 25 with 4K options available for less than $ 50.
The bigger question is: should we expect Apple to ever take care of the $ 100 sub-media market again? I will not hold my breath for that.
Apple’s current focus on video is the distribution of its Apple TV app to more places like Fire TV and Roku, PlayStation and Xbox, and smart TVs from LG, Samsung and virtually all smart TVs that are on the market today.
Even the premium media streaming market these days is waiting for any sign of new hardware from Apple. Apple TV HD premiered six years ago, and Apple TV 4K is now four years old and counting (and it’s not as if processors have gotten faster and TV specifications are not outdated).
This probably means that the sub- $ 100 streaming media hardware solution for Apple is far from their radar. Unfortunately, third-generation Apple TV video “apps” were developed specifically for a unique example of Apple’s operating system that is no longer supported or found on devices sold today.
Developers just can not justify putting resources behind a discontinued product that is no longer sold or maintained by Apple. Based on the state of affairs in the streaming media, we will only see that the third generation Apple TV is losing access to programs without Apple direct products being available on the market.
FTC: We use revenue to earn automatically affiliate links. More.
Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: