Apple TV

The Apple TV, stylized as &#x2009;tv, is a digital media receiver developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small form factor network appliance designed to play IPTV digital content originating from the iTunes Store, Netflix, YouTube, Flickr, MobileMe, MLB.tv, NBA League Pass or any Mac OS X or Windows computer running iTunes onto an enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen television.

History
Apple offered a preview of the device in September 2006 and began shipping it the following March. It initially shipped with a 40 GB hard disk; a 160 GB version was introduced two months later and the earlier model was ultimately discontinued.

In September 2010, Apple announced a 2nd-generation version of the Apple TV. About one quarter of the size and one third of the price of the original Apple TV, the new device can stream rented content from iTunes and video from computers or iOS devices via AirPlay. The second and third generation Apple TVs lost the hard drive; however, they did have an undocumented internal 8 GB flash storage, speculated to be used for smoother playback of streamed media. All content is drawn from online or locally connected sources.

At a media event on September 9, 2015, Apple introduced the 4th-generation Apple TV. This new model introduced a brand new operating system based on iOS known as tvOS, a new remote featuring Siri, and a brand new App Store. The new Apple TV costs $149 for the 32GB model, and $199 for the 64GB model.

1st generation
The 1st-generation Apple TV has both HDMI and component video out, unlike all other generations. It ran on Apple TV Software 1.0 to 3.0.2, which were based on Mac OS X 10.4.7.

2nd generation
The 2nd-generation Apple TV dropped the analog video ports so it can be smaller, about one quarter of the size of the previous generation. It ran on Apple TV Software 4.0 to 6.2.1, which were based on iOS instead of Mac OS X.

3rd generation
The 3rd-generation Apple TV has the same external design as the previous generation. It runs Apple TV Software 5.0 on an Apple A5 and supports 1080p video content. A "Revision A" was shipped in January 2013 with a more power-efficient A5 processor running Apple TV Software 5.2. Apple provided updates though Apple TV Software 7.9, released in May 2019 to enable access to Apple TV+. However, some apps, such as YouTube, are known to no longer function.

4th generation (Apple TV HD)
The 4th-generation model, retroactively called the Apple TV HD, was announced on September 9th, 2015. It introduced tvOS and the Siri Remote, as well as a design that is slightly taller than the previous generations. It was released in October 2015 with tvOS 9 and supports downloadable apps, such as games.

Apple TV 4K (1st generation)
The 5th-generation model, marketed as the first Apple TV 4K, received a faster Apple A10X processor, along with 4K video capability. It was released in September 2017 with tvOS 11.

Apple TV 4K (2nd generation)
The 6th-generation model, marketed as the 2nd-generation Apple TV 4K, received a faster Apple A12 Bionic processor to support at high frame rates. Also included is support for HDMI 2.1, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), and an updated Siri Remote. It was released in May 2021 with tvOS 14.5.

Apple TV 4K (3rd generation)
The 7th-generation model, marketed as the "next" or 3rd-generation Apple TV 4K, received the Apple A15 Bionic processor to help increase performance and efficiency. It also introduced new storage options, 64GB and 128GB, as well as a Wi-Fi + Ethernet option. It also added HDR10+ support for increased dynamic range. It also saw a minor design change by dropping the "tv" text on the top of the product. Finally, the Siri Remote swaps the charging port with a USB-C port, a port commonly found on MacBooks.