Netflix set to drop support for legacy Apple TV boxes in mid-2024
Apple TV hardware is touted as the best and smoothest way of consuming streamed content, with 4K/UHD- and Dolby Vision-powered viewing experiences built on the legacy of predecessors such as the 720p 2nd-gen box.
It was unveiled by Steve Jobs in 2010 as a device powered by an A4 platform based on ARM, just like its cutting-edge M-series counterpart. Nevertheless, it is also classed as obsolete by the Cupertino giant.
Despite that, it has still been technically usable as a streaming device, thanks to an App Store-independent version of the Netflix app.
However, this relatively unique UX is also now destined for the scrapheap, with the announcement that the app will be discontinued at the end of July 2024.
The change will also affect its third-gen (or 2012) successor, which also runs on Apple TV Software based on iOS rather than the tvOS of its successors.
It also leaves the Apple TV HD (or 4th gen) as the last member of its series that is both officially Netflix-supported and 1080p-only.
Meanwhile, their successors have moved on to specs such as Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.1, up to 128GB of internal storage and availability on Amazon.
