Apple kills 40GB Apple TV, 160GB now $229

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Apple kills 40GB Apple TV, 160GB now $229

Apple has quietly removed the 40GB Apple TV from its online store, and dropped the price of the 160GB model to $229. The 40GB and 160GB models were previously priced at $229 and $329, respectively; recent reports had noted that the shipping time for the 40GB model was growing abnormally long, indicating a possible upcoming change. Interestingly, this pricing drop comes less than one week after Apple introduced its new iTunes LP enhanced album format, which an in-depth look reveals is formatted for 1280x720 displays, or to the exact dimensions of the 720p HD video format. Furthermore, a separate report found that the iTunes LP content files reference the HTML meta tags “hdtv-fullscreen” and “hdtv-cursor-off,” suggesting that the content was created with HDTV display in mind, and that the Apple TV may see an update that allows it to play iTunes LP content sometime in the near future.

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Comments

1

Hopefully they’ll offer one with a really big capacity jump soon, maybe in the neighborhood of 500GB.

Posted by cxc273 on September 14, 2009 at 10:35 AM (PDT)

2

Apple needs to add support for 1080p video content as well. The iTunes Store offers some (e.g. movie theatrical trailers), and it can’t be long before there’s more. Why is Apple holding back on this, and on storage capacity, as #1 implied?

Also, aTV needs more on-screen “eye candy” like what the PlayStation3 offers when operating as a media server. aTV seems almost archaic in comparison.

Posted by Herr Doktor on September 14, 2009 at 10:43 AM (PDT)

3

I don’t think the fact that the LP format appears formatted for 720p display proves much of anything, other than that Apple is future proofing things a little. Do you really want to buy an LP format now using the current iPhone/Touch resolution and then rebuy when they increase the resolution in the future?

Another possible reason for eliminating the 40GB model and lowering the price of the 160GB model (which has also disappeared from refurb sales) is that they’ve stopped production and it will be disappearing soon.

Personally I think the Apple TV is fine for now, but if Apple really wanted to sell more, it need only add support for streaming audio (Pandora say) and video (Flash—Hulu, and Move—ABC.com). This would make it a home media streamer and add significant value to the product. Clearly the box is capable of doing this, and Apple has the technology available, and would just need to port it. Other than the whole Hulu doesn’t want Apple to do this, and Apple doesn’t want you using subscription music stuff…

Apple also needs to do something to make import of personal videos, say those taken with a new iPod nano or a Cisco Flip, easier. Both import, codec conversion, and possibly editing should be offered in some simple fashion. And yes, for PC users too.

Posted by Fanfoot on September 14, 2009 at 6:31 PM (PDT)

4

refurbs have now been re-priced in the Apple Store: 40 GB for $149 or 160 GB for $189. I just picked up a 160 GB refurb- the price was finally right for me. I’ll enjoy it even if they release new hardware soon or kill the product.

Posted by Dyvim on September 16, 2009 at 9:09 AM (PDT)

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