Mike Wuerthele
It's probably time to get rid of that thin second or third-generation Apple TV set-top box, as even Netflix is abandoning the older gear.
In an email to customers, Netflix has warning users of old Apple TVs that their days of using the service on the decade-old hardware is coming to an end. In the email, the company says that it is sun-setting support for them on July 31, 2024.
It says that it is doing this to "maintain the best possible Netflix experience." It's not clear why the device is getting axed, other than age. Codec support may be an issue as well.
For now, Apple's Home Sharing, AirPlay. And Apple apps still work on the older device which were the last to have optical audio out. It feels like it's just a matter of time until the company turns them off, though.
The second- and third-generation Apple TV predate Apple's concept of an App Store for the hardware.
The first generation is long gone, and ran a variant of OS X. The second generation was launched in September of 2010, with the third generation following on in 2012. Both second and third-generation units used an offshoot of iOS.
They were effectively obsolete when Apple released the fourth-generation Apple TV in September 2015. It launched with tvOS, and an App Store.
The new Apple TV, released on November 4, 2022 is effectively the seventh generation of Apple TV hardware, not counting an incredibly minor hardware revision in the third generation. It is also the third unit capable of 4K.
By March 2015, Apple had sold a total of 25 million Apple TV units to date.
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
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William Gallagher
14 Comments
Still using a third gen on occasion. A lot of apps don’t work on them.
Yeah. Time to buy a new 4K and move my older 4K ATV from a guest room to my bedroom, where my last 3rd gen resides.
Netflix still works flawlessly on my 2nd Gen. There's no reason to shut it down, even if they don't support it anymore. "Use at your own risk" is always a better option than "no soup for you".
I have newer AppleTVs, but, with one attached to every TV in the house, I'm only every going to upgrade the older ones when they die. Even if the only function left is AirPlay, that'll still allow it to do pretty much everything a new one can when I'm running it off my iPad.