The Apple TV discussed in this post is the fourth version (since 2015) of a “hobby project” started by Steve Jobs in 2006. Jobs’ vision was to create a simple entertainment hub that would allow people to access their TV media in just a few taps. This was realized in 2007 with the first Apple TV.
Since then there have been two sequels that have seen the internal Wi-Fi antenna upgraded from 802.11b to 802.11a/b/g/n before moving to 802.11ac for the latest version. The processor was also radically changed during this time, starting with a 1 GHz “Dothan” Pentium M with 256 MB up to a greatly improved 64-bit Apple A8 processor.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]The Apple TV was ahead of its time in many ways when it debuted in 2015. It featured a sleek new touch remote and a brand new software interface that no one had seen before. Today it’s called the Apple TV HD and it’s still a good streaming video player, not least because Apple keeps releasing new tvOS updates for the Apple TV. The latest updates bring benefits for US sports fans such as: B. Real-time notifications and live scores for multiple games.
If you don’t mind a little experimentation, you’ll have the most fun with the Apple TV – messing around with AirPlay streaming and browsing through apps to tell the good from the not-so-good. Roku devices are less complicated, Chromecasts are cheaper, and Amazon’s Fire TV does more or less the same job (with 4K HDR support) for a reasonable price.
That leaves it a capable 1080p streaming device with plenty of speed and style, even if the threat of a newer model always looms. For those who want higher resolutions with the same ecosystem, there’s the Apple TV 4K.
Apple TV currently comes in two flavors – the 1080p Apple TV and the Ultra HD-capable Apple TV 4K. Both devices are slightly more expensive than similarly equipped streaming devices, but Apple’s streamers have a certain style that you won’t find anywhere else.