The first Apple TV with Siri Remote, also known as ‘HD’ or ‘4th generation’ is now officially a ‘vintage’ product according to Apple. Does that mean you should upgrade to a new model soon?
Apple TV HD with Siri Remote is no longer supported
You don’t realize it immediately, but behind the scenes, Apple keeps an accurate list of which products still need official support. That affects things like software support, as well as the right to repairs from Apple and authorized service providers.
At the beginning of this week, a remarkable device surfaced on this list: The Apple TV HD (4th generation) with Siri Remote. At first it doesn’t seem that strange at all. This model was released in 2015 and is therefore already about 7 years old. No wonder Apple is discontinuing support – because that’s what ‘vintage’ means. So you have to upgrade, right?
Apple TV HD is a special case
Well, in this special case it’s a little different. Because even though the original Apple TV HD came out in 2015, Apple still sells a model with the exact same hardware. And that model is not ‘vintage’. The small but nice difference? The 2015 model still has the old black Siri Remote. And the current Apple TV HD model has the new silver Siri Remote.
Support and Repair Apple TV HD
And what does that mean for support? As far as the software is concerned, we don’t think you have to worry. tvOS 16 is just coming to this old Apple TV and there’s a good chance that you can still join tvOS 17 next year. Because just a different remote control is no reason to refuse an update. Plus, you can also use the new Siri Remote with your old Apple TV.
With repairs it is probably a bit more nuanced. Even though the hardware is the same, the new Apple TV HD will likely have a newer serial number. And so Apple can send you away for a repair. On the other hand, the Apple TV has neither screen nor keyboard to break, so most likely you’ll never need a repair anyway.
When should you upgrade?
In short, in terms of support, there is really no need to upgrade to the new model. Not for the HD model anyway. But we would look much more at what other peripherals you already have. Chances are you already have a 4K television. And the old Apple TV only gives you a picture in HD. If you really want to benefit from the higher resolution, an upgrade is recommended.
And if you want to game via Apple Arcade, the Apple TV 4K has advantages due to its much faster A12 Bionic processor. Games are just a bit smoother, and often have better graphics too. In these two cases, an update is still worth it. Find the cheapest price for such an Apple TV 4K? You can do this via the price comparator below.
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