The original Apple TV has been chugging for a shockingly long time. First introduced in early 2007, if you bought one nearly eleven years ago now, it has stuck by you through the fall of Blockbuster, the rise of Netflix, and was ready to be your loyal companion in the upcoming streaming wars.
Alas, it’s not to be: Apple is finally retiring your little black box. PC Mag reports that the issue is iTunes. The software has been updated to the point where your Apple TV simply isn’t going to work, and that means a whole bunch of formerly cutting-edge gear is being cut off as of May 25th. You won’t be able to buy from iTunes or be able to download any past purchases from it. To give you an idea of how far the first-gen Apple TV has been around: Windows XP and Vista will no longer work with iTunes after this update either, so maybe let your grandpa know he finally needs to give in and get a copy of Windows 7 for his Compaq.
Joking aside, this is unfortunate. While there probably aren’t too many first-gen Apple TVs still in operation, it’s a bit of a waste that the little guys are being cut off from the mothership. It seems like, with Apple launching a new streaming service, they’d want to have an in at every home they can find, but apparently not. This is the end, friends. Time to upgrade.
(via PC Mag)