Was the Apple TV HD worth it?

It sounds funny that you’d volunteer to use the Apple TV HD when it is so old (and only just recently made it fully to the unsupported product list), but I actually have been enjoying it. I think of it more as an entry into Apple ecosystem apps that ever grow on the platform. If you’ve ever wanted to use Trakt or Letterboxd on the big screen, now you can! Do you use Infuse on iPhone, Mac or iPad? It’s a simple $30 1080p streamer with great Apple ecosystem connections and good, occasionally laggy, performance.

As I probably said the last time, it is all many people need. Back in 2024, I was using the same Mac I still use today, and I said “It fills the needs of many students who often buy expensive devices they never fully use or understand just because it’s an Apple device, or just what they needed for school, when all they may do all day is read PDFs and do schoolwork” and the MacBook Neo was a great example of that exact premise. It seems that over time, a lot of, even some of the oldest Apple devices, end up working great years into their lifetime.

And even though it’s probably not going to last long now, it’s a great device that gives me exactly what I need to this day, and most people just end up using it for YouTube, Netflix and streaming services (which it supports plenty fine).

Even if that was not your main focus, it can still be great as a device for the purposes I explained above. Having the same quality video player on all my devices, with great syncing, allows me to enjoy my content, well anywhere. Trakt and other niche apps (my favorite being a port of “Cosmic Shake” from the App Store), make it one of the best niche little devices that really complete the ecosystem feeling, without being overbearing or too expensive.