Apple TV (1st generation)

Apple TV (1st generation) was a TV box released by Apple in 2007 designed to stream your iTunes library, including films and music, from your computer or iPod to the big, widescreen TV.

This allowed families to come together and watch content in their living rooms from iTunes, without huddling around a Mac, or listen to iTunes music together as the iPod only provided a solo listening experience.

2006 Sneak Peek

Apple gave a sneak peek to the TV box at a 2006 'It's Showtime' event on the 12th September, 2006. It was originally unveiled as iTV, to match the company's branding across other products such as iPod and iMac.

However, British broadcaster ITV already held the trademark for this name, which could have caused problems when launching the product in the UK market.

Ultimately, Apple renamed the device to Apple TV and released the product to major markets such as the United States, United Kingdom and Canada in March 2007.

Operating System

Modern Apple TV units run the dedicated tvOS operating system, which made its debut in 2015. As a product that launched eight years prior, the original Apple TV model ran a modified version of Mac OS X, the operating system for the Mac which itself was later renamed to macOS.

Product Background

Apple's then-CEO, Steve Jobs, called the Apple TV "a DVD player for the 21st century", as you could watch digital content over the internet rather than insert traditional DVDs into the device.

In fact, the device did not have a dedicated DVD drive so consumers who bought the device could not use it to watch content they already physically owned.

At launch Apple advertised that the 1st generation Apple TV had four million songs, 5,000 music videos, 100,000 podcasts and 20,000 audiobooks, in addition to photos where you could view a digital photo album on the large screen.

It was available with either a 40GB or 160GB hard drive, to store photos, videos and music.

Highlights:

• Wi-Fi and Ethernet
• 40GB or 160GB hard drive storage
• Apple Remote included
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 graphics
• Sync iTunes from a Mac or Windows PC

Design

Flat, cube-like design with an aluminium enclosure available in silver. Reminiscent of an older-style Mac mini.

Chip

Intel Pentium M (1GHz) with NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 graphics.

Storage Options

• 40GB HDD
• 160GB HDD

Compatibility

Apple said that the Apple TV (1st generation) was compatible with most modern widescreen TVs, from brands including:

• HP
• Hitachi
• JVC
• LG
• Panasonic
• Philips
• Samsung
• Sony
• Sharp
• Toshiba

Apple TV required either a Mac running Mac OS X 10.3.9, 10.4.9 or later, or a PC running Windows XP Home or Windows Vista. You also needed iTunes 7.6 or later.