If you’ve checked out Apple’s all-new streaming set-top box, the 4. For a limited time only, the device is listed on Amazon for $290 — that’s $10 off its MSRP of $300.
While it’s by no means a huge discount, it’s still curious to see Amazon sign Apple so early in the device’s lifespan. For reference, the 4th-gen Apple TV 4K was announced at a “Welcome Home” event in New York City on October 13, with pre-orders opening soon after, and with an official launch date slated for November 13.
- Mark
-
Apple
- What is included
-
Apple TV 4K (4th Gen), Siri Remote
- Bluetooth codecs
-
Bluetooth 6
- WiFi
-
WiFi 7
- Ethernet
-
Gigabit Ethernet
- Supports video
-
Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
Apple’s next-generation streaming set-top box, the 4th.
Generation Apple TV is a tough sell
$10 off isn’t enough to make this a no-brainer purchase
In some ways, I find the new 4. After years of waiting, the set-top box has received what amounts to a glorified specification bump, from the A15 Bionic processor to the A19 chipset. This equates to a massive boost in performance (as well as double the RAM), which is great, but there are hardly any applications on tvOS that really benefit from the additional horsepower at this point.
The new Siri Remote has Find My support with Precision Finding, which is a nice upgrade, but it’s a small one to be sure. The addition of built-in microphones for Siri AI dictation is also a welcome inclusion, but Siri AI itself is confirmed to be coming to the 2nd-gen and 3rd-gen Apple TV 4K models as well. This takes the shine off the 4th.
$10 off the MSRP of the 4th.
Overall, I would have liked to see Apple push further, perhaps with a smaller, metal-clad set-top box chassis, or with a redesigned Siri remote that draws inspiration from previous generations (the return of motion and tilt control would have been pretty cool). Instead, the company left things mostly unchanged, while also ditching the 64GB Wi-Fi-only model in its entirety, and while raising prices for the 128GB with Wi-Fi and Ethernet variant by $50 in the process.
At $300, the latest Apple TV 4K is a tough sell, especially when you consider that the third-gen model started with a base price of $130 before getting a price hike in June of this year. $10 off the 4th MSRP.