Apple TV · The Aluminum Age · 2010
Apple TV (2nd generation)
Apple shrank the box, cut the price to $99 and ditched local storage for pure streaming, running an iOS-based system on the iPhone 4’s A4 chip. AirPlay let you fling video from your phone.
Tiny, cheap, streaming-only, and switched to the iPhone’s A4 chip and iOS.
Apple TV (3rd generation) (2012)
Apple TV (2nd generation): key facts
When was the Apple TV (2nd generation) released?
The Apple TV (2nd generation) arrived on September 1, 2010. Apple discontinued it in March 2012.
How much did the Apple TV (2nd generation) cost?
The Apple TV (2nd generation) launched at $99 in 2010, about $146 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What specs stand out?
Key specs: Apple A4 at 800 MHz, 256 MB RAM, 8 GB storage, HDMI out, 720p display.
Why does the Apple TV (2nd generation) matter?
Tiny, cheap, streaming-only, and switched to the iPhone’s A4 chip and iOS.
Full specifications
| CPU | Apple A4 · 800 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 256 MB |
| Storage | 8 GB |
| Display | HDMI out, 720p |
| GPU | PowerVR SGX535 |
| Ports | HDMI, Ethernet, optical |
| Weight | 270 g |
| Dimensions | Tiny black square |
| Operating system | Apple TV Software (iOS-based) |
| Released | September 1, 2010 |
| Discontinued | March 2012 |
| Launch price | $99 |
How the Apple TV (2nd generation) compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 64× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 800 MHz, the clock is roughly 4.0× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro, and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
This held about 2,050 modern phone photos, a respectable library even today.
Launched at $99 in 2010, about $146 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Method note: clock comparisons use frequency only; price conversions use US CPI.
Sources
Specs checked against Apple technical specifications archive, EveryMac, Mactracker, Wikimedia Commons image credits.
Did you know?
Jailbreakers loved it as a cheap, hackable little iOS computer.
Related Apple TV models
Open the Apple TV (2nd generation) in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-08-11