$99 Apple TV Might Make a Comeback Next Year - MacRumors
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$99 Apple TV Might Make a Comeback Next Year

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A new Apple TV streaming box is rumored to launch next year, and there is a possibility that the device's U.S. pricing will start at just $99.

apple tv 4k new orange
Shortly after the current Apple TV 4K model launched in October 2022, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the next Apple TV would be "more affordable" than the current model. He said a "sub-$100 price" would be the "sweet spot" for the Apple TV, but exact pricing for the next model remains to be seen.

Both the 2010 and 2012 versions of the Apple TV were priced at $99 in the U.S. at launch, and Apple eventually lowered the price of the 2012 model to $69, so there is precedent for a sub-$100 Apple TV that would better compete with lower-priced streaming devices like the Google TV Streamer, which costs $99.99. Amazon and Roku have even cheaper streaming stick options starting as low as $24.99 on sale.

In the U.S., the current Apple TV starts at $129 with 64GB of storage, and a 128GB model with an added Ethernet port is available for $149.

Rumored features for the next Apple TV include a faster A-series chip and Wi-Fi 6E support.

A built-in camera has also been rumored for a future Apple TV model. tvOS 17 added a FaceTime app to the Apple TV, allowing for users to have video calls by using the rear camera on a connected iPhone or iPad. If the Apple TV gained a built-in camera, users would no longer need to rely on an external device for video calls on the TV.

It is unclear exactly when in 2025 the new Apple TV will be released.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater

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Top Rated Comments

A
artifex
23 months ago

dont most TVs have this an app?

Why even sell it even for $99? I saw 50 inch tvs for $200 on Black Friday. I also bought 3 55 inch Hisense tvs with the Apple TV app for $280. Samsungs are not much more expensive than that.

I think the technology is pointless now unless they make it a video game system somehow.

I have 3 of the latest ones because of a cable promo but even when the $150 one came out it was outdated and way way over priced.
One reason a lot of people buy these boxes is because the built-in OS on their TV is either obsolete or has a ton of ads in the interface or harvests all kinds of data, or some combination of the three.

My parents have a decent 4K tv that is old enough that the new streaming ads in some of the channel apps can crash them, but the panel and sound is still good. They're going to buy a new one, but why throw that tv away when I can just get a box and stick it in the guest bedroom or something?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
HobeSoundDarryl
23 months ago

dont most TVs have this an app?

Why even sell it even for $99? I saw 50 inch tvs for $200 on Black Friday. I also bought 3 55 inch Hisense tvs with the Apple TV app for $280. Samsungs are not much more expensive than that.
AppleTV (the app) vs. AppleTV (the box) are as night & day as any iPhone app vs. iPhone. One app is not the entire product.

I consider this perhaps the worst naming decision by Apple in their history because it drives this very common confusion:

* AppleTV (the box) capable of running thousands of apps
* AppleTV (the app) is only one app among those thousands
* AppleTV+ (the service) is the content creation entity that feeds the one app among those thousands.

No surprise people get confused, undermining sales of the box by making them believe that the app freely available on many TV brands is the same as the box.

For anyone still confused, Mcintosh Apples and Apple Macintosh are just as night & day. ;)

As are Apple Ltd (the Beatles company) and Apple Inc.

Or Mac (cosmetics) and Mac (computers).

Etc.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F
Fyrus
23 months ago

And there have been no sales on the current models… my 2nd gen does everything streaming just fine, so let’s wait and see and I have some duct tape laid away for that rumored stupid camera
Even the first generation 4K ATV would still be fine for most people and that one has an Ethernet port on the cheapest one.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
L
Lounge vibes 05
23 months ago
The camera wasn’t even rumored for the Apple TV, it was rumored for the HomePad speaker thing.
Obviously they aren’t going to put a camera in the tiny box that sitsbelow, behind or inside of an entertainment center near a TV.
What would a camera like that even capture, the inside of a cabinet?

Obviously, the HomePod with a display (or HomePad) will have a camera that you can probably access via the Apple TV.
But a tiny camera in the $99 box? No.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spokeyourname Avatar
Spokeyourname
23 months ago
No one needs a built-in camera. Most of these devices are stuck to the back of a TV or in an entertainment center. What we need is high-res audio, pass through, and AI audio/video upscaling.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FightTheFuture Avatar
FightTheFuture
23 months ago

dont most TVs have this an app?

Why even sell it even for $99? I saw 50 inch tvs for $200 on Black Friday. I also bought 3 55 inch Hisense tvs with the Apple TV app for $280. Samsungs are not much more expensive than that.

If you can get by with the built-in TV OS than do it. I find most of them a pain to use and just wind up back with my ATV.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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