Apple TV is a digital media receiver developed and sold by Apple Inc. It is a small form factor network appliance designed to play digital content from the iTunes Store, Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Flickr, iCloud, MLB.tv, NBA League Pass, NHL GameCenter or any Mac OS X or Windows computer running iTunes on an enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen television.
Apple offered a preview of the device in September 2006, and began shipping it the following March. It initially shipped with a 40 GB hard disk; a 160 GB version was introduced two months later, and the earlier model was ultimately discontinued.
In September 2010, Apple announced a second-generation version of the Apple TV. About one-quarter of the size and one-third of the price of the original Apple TV, the new device could stream rented content from iTunes and video from computers or iOS devices via AirPlay. The new version no longer has the hard drive; however, it does have an undocumented internal 8 GB flash storage, speculated to be used for smoother playback of streamed media. All content is drawn from online or locally connected sources.
A third generation of the device was introduced at an Apple event on March 7, 2012, with new features such as higher resolution (1080p) and a new user interface.
Notable competitors include Western Digital Media Center, Roku, Boxee, YouView, SonySMP-N200 and Google TV, as well as Smart TV upgraders from companies such as Samsung and LG.
Read more about Apple TV: History, Features, Technical Specifications, Mac Mini Comparison
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