My colleague Zac Hall described HomeView as one of the best ways to spend $299 on an Apple device, and the Apple TV 4K as the worst. Hardly anyone thinks anyone should buy the latter at that price, but things could have been even worse…
The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K launched at the eye-opening price of $299 (and just a little less on Amazon). You get some new features for your money, including built-in microphones, an updated remote, and surround sound support with the HomePod mini 2. But the tech world’s consensus seems to be that almost no one should buy this model, especially considering you’ll get AI Siri support with a second- or third-generation box. You can buy entire large screen TVs for less.
Technology journalist Glenn Fleishman put together a chart showing that price growth is well above inflation when switching from almost any previous model. This is true from the second-generation Apple TV, which went on sale for $99, all the way up to the third-generation Apple TV 4K at an introductory price of $129.
But the same comprehensive graph also shows that things could have been much worse. The very first Apple TV box went on sale for $299 way back in 2007. Adjusted for inflation, that’s equivalent to $491 today…
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