Why I purchased this aging Apple device

I really wanted an Apple TV after being introduced to it from various product reviews, as I was astounded of how great an experience it was to use one. It was consistently recommended as the top of the line streaming device, with the same hardware as an iPhone making it generally pretty fast for most TV focused applications. I just love the idea of the Apple TV as well as it is integrated with the services I already used. It can be a FaceTime or Photos app viewer, a Home Hub for outside access to your smart home and many more other useful features, except, I wasn’t trying to use the top of the line.

Instead, after browsing options, I determined to purchase the outdated, discontinued, Apple TV HD. Why? Well, a couple of reasons. Namely, that it’s still up to date but this is a given. No, the Apple TV HD was bought because it just made the most sense.

Starting with the basics, my TV, being a regular 1080p 60hz TV does not need any 4k support. So, the HD was a perfectly fine device in this regard, as unless I suddenly gain a great 4K OLED panel tomorrow, I simply have no reason to care for the device to have a higher resolution. For me, I do not need future-proofing. This isn’t the only reason as I also found it to be quite impressive. Even though the Apple TV HD could be discontinued in a week for all I know, it has lasted for a significant amount of time due it being sold with the normal 4K options. I am assuming they just thought most people didn’t use a 1080p TV anymore that Apple simply just got rid of it. This was not just discontinued maybe a decade ago or anything crazy like that, it was only discontinued in 2022.

With the limitations it has, like missing liquid glass support, Apple simply has not gotten rid of this device just yet, and general developer support will last for a long time. This means to me that maybe Apple understands the context in which this device was previously purchased. Like for example, around the same time maybe the next year, the iPhone 12 was delisted from the Apple website, but there is no way that Apple means “This device will stop receiving updates” as the 12 lineup can go all the way up to 26. No, because they sold this device so recently, as to not upset these users and to give people a nice experience as they continue to improve the tvOS experience, they decided to keep it going and I hope they continue to.

What is interesting about its history, from what I can gather, is that Apple did not skimp out on the remotes by providing some sort of midrange solution or something. No, people who acquired an HD at whatever time they did would receive the same remote the TV 4K received. So, on eBay, you’ll get a variety of listings, some where they are selling with the ancient extremely simple Apple TV remote and some with a variant of the new Siri remotes, or in between with the first generation “touchpad” black Siri remote.

When trying to get one, it proved to be a momentous task, as I scoured auctions and buy it now listings from the various ware sellers on eBay. Excitedly, I found quite a few great listings, but I always managed to completely forgo this elective of my own design. By which to mean that I had constantly been looking, anticipated trying to bid but ended up never making it.

This frustrated me until I found a personal offer which I just accepted trying to get it shipped post haste until a buyer’s remorse has hit over the fact that I missed out on many a great listings. Still I bequeathed these feelings as the days approached to the device’s arrival and I realized how poor many of the other listings were. At least this one bothered to give me an HDMI cord (of which I have many) an ethernet cord (of which I have few) and the actual power cord (of which I have none). In addition, this particular model was just fascinating being one of the few with double the base storage. Why did this pique my curiosity? Well, the 64 gigabyte variant had been discontinued even earlier leaving the 32 gigabyte option only for the HD until it too suffered its ill fate. Having the extra storage is actually kind of a great thing as it matches what the base model Apple TV provides nearly a decade before the current generation model existed but it’s also a great option for downloading videos, not just apps as with applications like VLC, you are able to store your content on internal storage. Ain’t that a great option?

Even then, it adds value onto itself by not precluding the ethernet port. It may not be the most fleetly RJ45 to exist on the face of the planet but it’s great for reducing latency, especially for local services which tend to not have bandwidth limitations. Without upgrading your current generation Apple TV by parting with $20 extra, you will be amiss to find that the base model does not include ethernet.

Another big reason I was excited to try the device out even if it is ailing from it’s own generation linage was the exciting idea of being able to use famous Apple device exclusive applications. As mentioned previously, there are some of the standard applications which you come to expect on an Apple device but it goes even deeper. With the likes of Infuse, Trakt, and Letterboxd not providing any alternative TV applications, the Apple TV is the only device in which these applications lie exclusively. Despite this being a part of the Apple TV devices as a whole, as they are attainable on any model you like, it’s still an interesting useful point to bring up if you are on the fence as to why this is a good idea due to the applications being of a spectacular quality with frequent updates and good design. Something rarely seen on a device seldom remembered.

Now, as much as this may seem like a minor addendum to what is otherwise a premium device, it really only solidifies its position as the streaming box not just the best option for X user but rather everyone. Personally, even if the device is old or slower than just any option out there for streaming, I would gladly take it over anything else for these reasons as I contentedly compose my thoughts over what was otherwise a $40 purchase.