Apple Discontinues Third-Generation Apple TV

by

Apple has discontinued the third-generation Apple TV, removing it from its online store. Additionally, links to the Apple TV 3 now reroute to the fourth-generation Apple TV. Apple confirmed it was discontinuing the device in an email to employees and educators obtained by 9to5Mac.

appletv3
The Cupertino company will continue to fulfill backlog orders for the device, but is now putting its attention behind the newer fourth-generation device. In early September, it was reported that Apple had begun phasing out the Apple TV 3, pulling it from its brick-and-mortar stores

The Apple TV 3 was released in 2012 and given a spec bump the following year. In fall 2015, Apple announced the long-awaited fourth-generation Apple TV, including support for Siri, the brand-new tvOS, and the App Store.

Apple is still selling refurbished versions of the Apple TV 3 for $59. The fourth-generation Apple TV can be purchased from Apple's online and retail stores in two configurations: 32GB for $149 and 64GB for $199.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 14
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater

Top Rated Comments

kwikdeth Avatar
kwikdeth
60 months ago
Dont worry, they still sell the MacBook Pro from 2012!
Score: 72 Votes (Like | Disagree)
decimortis Avatar
decimortis
60 months ago
I'll continue to use my Apple TV 3 until it passes on. Does everything I need it to.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
profets Avatar
profets
60 months ago
They should have discontinued it when the 4th gen was released.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wozmatic Avatar
wozmatic
60 months ago
I questioned why I even bought the ATV 4 when it's so locked down and side-loading kodi once a week just to watch other files types.

Apple isn't being very customer service friendly, your customers obviously want to download files and watch them.

They're gonna start to jump ship, which I'll be doing.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JoEw Avatar
JoEw
60 months ago
4th gen 32gb $99
5th gen 4K 64gb $149

Hopefully soon
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iMi Avatar
iMi
60 months ago
I questioned why I even bought the ATV 4 when it's so locked down and side-loading kodi once a week just to watch other files types.

Apple isn't being very customer service friendly, your customers obviously want to download files and watch them.

They're gonna start to jump ship, which I'll be doing.
I appreciate your viewpoint, but I couldn't disagree more. Vast majority of consumers want to watch Apple content, download apps such as Netflix and Hulu and generally enjoy the good life within the walled garden. Very few people want to side-load anything. I never even considered it for a minute. Love the Apple TV. It's the best stream box out there.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Top Stories

prosser macbook air colors stacked

Images Reveal Colorful New MacBook Air Design

Tuesday May 11, 2021 5:06 am PDT by
Apple's next MacBook Air will feature a completely new design and come in a range of colors like the 24-inch iMac, according to leaker Jon Prosser, who has now released supposedly accurate renders of the new machines based on leaked images. In a new video uploaded to YouTube channel Front Page Tech, Prosser elaborated on his previous prediction that Apple's next-generation MacBook Air models ...
Read Full Article • 126 comments
m1 ipad pro chip

M1 iPad Pro Over 50% Faster Than Previous Generation in Early Benchmarks

Tuesday May 11, 2021 11:56 am PDT by
Last month, Apple introduced a new iPad Pro with the same M1 chip found in the latest Macs, and early benchmark results indicate that the M1 iPad Pro is over 50% faster than the previous-generation iPad Pro. Based on five legitimate Geekbench 5 results (here's the fifth) for the fifth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro with the M1 chip, the device has average single-core and multi-core scores of...
Read Full Article • 376 comments
iPhone 13 Camera Backs

iPhone 13 Models Will Be Slightly Thicker and Will Have Larger Camera Bumps

Monday May 10, 2021 10:41 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 models will be slightly thicker than the iPhone 12 models and will also feature larger, thicker camera bumps with lenses that protrude less, according to iPhone 13 schematics seen by MacRumors. The new iPhone 13 and 13 Pro models are expected to feature a thickness of 7.57mm, up from 7.4mm in the iPhone 12 models. That's an increase of 0.17mm, which won't be hugely ...
Read Full Article • 217 comments
apple park drone june 2018 2

Apple Fires Newly Hired Ex-Facebook Product Manager Following Revelations of Past Misogynistic Comments

Thursday May 13, 2021 12:10 am PDT by
Apple has fired Antonio García Martínez, an ex-Facebook product manager and author of the controversial book "Chaos Monkeys," following public and internal calls for removal and investigation due to past misogynistic statements, The Verge reports. Apple hired Martínez earlier this week to join its ads team, however, comments that Martínez made in the past sparked condemnation from users...
Read Full Article • 280 comments
imac m1 blue isolated 16x9 500k

M1 iMac is Up to 56% Faster Than Prior-Generation High-End 21.5-Inch iMac

Wednesday May 12, 2021 10:03 am PDT by
Apple's M1 iMacs are set to start delivering to customers next week, and ahead of the official launch day, benchmarks for the machines have been showing up on Geekbench, likely from reviewers who are testing them. It will come as no surprise that M1 iMac benchmarks are right on par with benchmarks for the M1 MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini, coming in with an average single-core score...
Read Full Article • 255 comments
iPad Pro Feature

Early M1 iPad Pro Orders Now Preparing to Ship

Tuesday May 11, 2021 9:41 am PDT by
Apple will soon ship out 11 and 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro models, according to multiple Twitter users and MacRumors readers who have seen their orders shift to "Preparing to Ship" status. So far, we haven't seen any shipment notifications, but that's the next step and is likely to happen in the near future. Apple has not provided an exact delivery date to those who ordered a new M1 iPad Pro, but ...
Read Full Article • 184 comments
fortnite apple logo 2

Judge in Epic vs. Apple Case Floats Potential Compromise

Wednesday May 12, 2021 3:54 pm PDT by
In the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, the two companies are this week calling up their expert witnesses to argue their points before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will make a decision in the case after a three week trial. Expert testimony is not as exciting as some of the leaked App Store documents that were highlighted last week, especially as much of what's being...
Read Full Article • 245 comments
AirTag in Envelope Feature 2

AirTag Used to Successfully Track a Mailed Package Across the UK

Wednesday May 12, 2021 8:44 am PDT by
An Apple customer in the United Kingdom has successfully used Apple's Find My network to track an AirTag as it was being sent by mail to a friend in a completely different city. Outlined in a blog post at Intego, Kirk McElhearn said he taped an AirTag to a piece of card, wrapped it inside a small bubble envelope, and then sent it on its way. Kirk lives in the small town of...
Read Full Article • 150 comments
maxresdefault

Video: Make Your iPhone Last Longer With These Battery Preserving Tips

Monday May 10, 2021 1:23 pm PDT by
Maximizing battery life is something that many iPhone users deal with on a regular basis as we all want our iPhones to last as long as possible. Sometimes there are bugs in iOS that make the battery drain faster, and sometimes we just need to eke out as much as possible on a long day out and about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. In our latest YouTube video, MacRumo...
Read Full Article • 77 comments
macos big sur ios 14 iphone 12 pro macbook air icloud drive desktop documents hero

Apple Merging 'iCloud Documents and Data' Service With iCloud Drive in May 2022

Tuesday May 11, 2021 2:36 am PDT by
Apple plans to merge its iCloud Documents and Data service with iCloud Drive starting in May of 2022, according to a support document published late last week (via MacGeneration). iCloud Drive and iCloud Documents and Data share the fundamental ability to backup data from apps. However, iCloud Documents and Data was often a cumbersome, confusing experience. In contrast, iCloud Drive is more...
Read Full Article • 95 comments