Apple has quietly discontinued selling the old third-gen Apple TV on its online store, although it has committed to fulfilling all existing orders for the device.
As products go, the third-gen Apple TV had a reasonable lifespan, having first been introduced in 2012. Its software was last updated with minor security fixes back in February.
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Apple has been selling refurbished third-gen Apple TV units for around $59, which may continue until it is out of stock, although it won’t be selling new versions of the old set-top box.
While Apple often keeps older generation devices around at a lower price point to bring in new customers, it makes perfect sense that the company would want to get rid of the third-gen Apple TV.
As Apple made very clear when it introduced the fourth-gen Apple TV, Apple is most excited about its use of an App Store and Siri-based remote — neither of which the older unit had. Keeping it around is a bit like continuing to sell iPhones too old to even consider upgrading to iOS 10.
Nonetheless, as the Apple TV model which helped make Apple’s television efforts into more than just “a hobby,” it certainly made its mark on while it was still around.
Via: 9to5Mac
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
