Apple TV hardware is touted as the best and most seamless way to stream 4K/UHD content—and Dolby Vision—building on the legacy of predecessors like the second-generation 720p TV.
It was introduced by Steve Jobs in 2010 as a device powered by an ARM-based A4, just like its cutting-edge M Series counterpart. However, it is also classified as obsolete by the Cupertino giant.
Despite this, it remains technically usable as a streaming device, thanks to an App Store-independent Netflix app.
However, this relatively unique UX is also now destined for scrap, with the announcement that the app will stop working at the end of July 2024.
The change will also affect its third-generation (or 2012) successor, which also runs Apple TV Software based on iOS instead of the tvOS of its successors.
It also leaves the Apple TV HD (or 4th gen) as the latest member of its series that is both officially Netflix-only and 1080p.
Meanwhile, its successors have moved up to specs like Gigabit Ethernet HDMI 2.1, up to 128GB of storage, and availability on Amazon.
