Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole by Apple. It streams media, including video and audio, to a TV or external display. Its media services encompass streaming, TV Everywhere, local media, and sports broadcasts.
In 1993, Apple released the Macintosh TV, a device with a 14-inch CRT screen and a TV tuner card, in an attempt to enter the home-entertainment industry.
In 1994, the Macintosh TV was discontinued due to its lack of commercial success. Also in 1994, Apple developed the Apple Interactive Television Box in collaboration with BT Group and Proximus Group, though it was never released to the public.
In September 2006, Apple announced the first-generation Apple TV (originally named "iTV").
In January 2007, during its first week of presales, Apple TV became the top pre-selling item at the Apple Store. Orders surpassed 100,000 units by the end of the month. Analysts called it a "DVD killer."
In January 2007, pre-orders began for the first-generation Apple TV.
In March 2007, Apple released the first-generation Apple TV, which ran a variant of Mac OS X Tiger and included a 40 GB hard disk.
In May 2007, Apple released a model of the first-generation Apple TV with a 160 GB hard drive.
The fourth quarter of 2007 was used as a baseline to compare 2008's sales.
In January 2008, a software update allowed the Apple TV to become a stand-alone device, removing the need for iTunes syncing from a separate computer.
In February 2008, Apple released the "Take Two" (2.0) update, a major and free upgrade to the Apple TV. This update replaced Front Row with a new interface organizing content into six categories (movies, TV shows, music, YouTube, podcasts, and photos) presented in a square box on the screen, along with a "Settings" option.
On July 10, 2008, Apple released iTunes Remote, a free iOS application that allows the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad to control the iTunes library on the Apple TV via Wi-Fi.
In July 2008, Apple released the software 2.1 update for Apple TV, which added external recognition of iPhones and iPod Touches as alternative remote control devices.
In 2008, specifically the fourth quarter, Apple TV sales were triple that of the fourth quarter of 2007.
In September 2009, Apple discontinued the 40 GB version of the first-generation Apple TV.
In October 2009, Apple released "Apple TV Software 3.0," a minor upgrade that replaced the interface from version 2.0 with a new one. The new interface presented seven horizontal columns for content categories (Movies, TV Shows, Music, Podcasts, Photos, Internet, and Settings) and added features like content filtering, iTunes Extras, new fonts, and a new Internet radio app.
In 2009, during Apple's first-quarter financial results conference call, Tim Cook stated that Apple TV sales increased three times over the same quarter of the previous year. The movie rental business was working well, and Apple planned to continue investing in it, but Apple TV was still considered a 'hobby' for the company.
In September 2010, Apple released the second-generation Apple TV, which is based on the ARM-based Apple A4 chip and runs a variant of iOS.
On December 21, 2010, Apple announced that they had sold 1 million Apple TV units.
In 2011, Apple sold 2.8 million Apple TV units.
In 2011, specifically the second fiscal quarter, Apple TV sales had topped 2 million in total, with 820,000 units sold in that quarter alone.
By January 1, 2012, Apple had sold a total of 4.2 million Apple TV units.
On January 24, 2012, Apple announced they had sold 1.4 million Apple TV units in the first fiscal quarter of 2012.
At a special event in March 2012, Apple announced the third-generation Apple TV, which includes an A5 chip and supports 1080p video output.
In March 2012, Apple released Apple TV Software 5 (iOS 5.1) with the 3rd generation Apple TV. The update revised the home screen to resemble the icon grid on iOS, replacing the 7 columns with a tiled grid format for content and third-party channels.
In May 2012, Tim Cook announced that Apple had sold 2.7 million of the 3rd generation Apple TV model in 2012 at the All Things Digital conference.
By January 1, 2013, cumulative volume of the 3rd generation Apple TV device was 6 million units.
In March 2013, Apple quietly released a "rev A" of the hardware for the third-generation Apple TV, using a single-core variant of the A5 chip.
On February 28, 2014, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced at Apple's shareholders meeting that in 2013 Apple TV brought in $1 billion of revenue for Apple.
In September 2014, Apple TV Software 7.0 introduced peer-to-peer AirPlay exclusively for the rev A model of the third-generation Apple TV.
On March 9, 2015, Tim Cook announced at an Apple Special Event that Apple had sold a total of 25 million Apple TVs up to that point.
On September 9, 2015, Apple announced the fourth-generation Apple TV at a special event, introducing tvOS and an app store.
In September 2015, Apple discontinued iTunes support for the first-generation Apple TV due to obsolete security standards.
The fourth-generation Apple TV started shipping in October 2015.
On December 8, 2015, Apple fixed several unexpected problems with the fourth-generation Apple TV, such as incompatibility with iTunes Remote app for iOS and watchOS, in tvOS 9.1.
During an Apple earnings call on January 27, 2016, CEO Tim Cook stated that the Apple TV had record sales, although further details were not provided.
On September 13, 2016, Apple released tvOS 10, which included an updated remote app, single-sign on, a light-on-dark color scheme, and HomeKit support.
In October 2016, the third-generation Apple TV was discontinued.
On September 12, 2017, Apple announced the Apple TV 4K, which supports 2160p output, HDR10, Dolby Vision, and includes a faster Apple A10X chip.
On December 6, 2017, Amazon Video was automatically added to Apple TVs running Apple TV Software 7.2.2.
In December 2017, Apple added support for Amazon Prime Video on Apple TV.
As of March 2019, Apple TV Software 7.2.2 (iOS 8) remained available for the Apple TV (3rd generation), although it does not support tvOS 9.0 or later.
In March 2019, after newer 4K versions were released, Apple rebranded the fourth-generation Apple TV as the Apple TV HD, positioning it as an entry-level option.
In May 2019, Apple released Apple TV Software 7.3 (iOS 8.4.2) to the public, which was the first update for the 3rd generation Apple TV since 2016. This update included the new Apple TV app and compatibility for the Apple TV Channels service.
In May 2019, Apple released the Apple TV app, bundled with Apple TV Software 7.3.
In June 2019, it was estimated that there were 53 million units of all generations of the Apple TV in use worldwide.
On September 24, 2019, Apple released Apple TV Software 7.4 (iOS 8.4.3) to the public.
In November 2019, Apple released the Apple TV+ subscription service and the Apple TV app.
In 2019, Apple analyst John Gruber stated that the Apple TV sells at a low profit margin or at a loss.
On March 24, 2020, Apple TV Software 7.5 (iOS 8.4.4) was released to the public.
On April 20, 2021, Apple announced an updated Apple TV 4K featuring the A12 Bionic chip, support for high frame rate HDR, HDMI 2.1, and Wi-Fi 6.
On October 18, 2022, Apple discontinued the Apple TV HD after seven years on the market, following the release of the 4K third-generation model.
As of 2022, Apple TV natively supports various audio, video, and picture formats. The Apple TV HD and later models can use built-in software to play other codecs and formats, such as Emby, MrMC, VLC media player, Kodi, and Plex.
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