Apple TV · Standard
2012
Apple TV (3rd generation)
Upgraded Apple's streaming puck to full 1080p high definition via single-core Apple A5 silicon while retaining the fanless 6W design and landmark $99 price point.
- Announced
- 2012-03-07
- Family
- Apple TV
- Branch
- Standard
- Historical weight
- Major evolution
Key specifications
Apple verification ↗- Display
- HDMI out, 1080p
- Chip / CPU
- Apple A5 · 1 GHz
- Memory
- 512 MB
- Base storage
- 8 GB
- Ports & charging
- HDMI, Ethernet, optical, Micro-USB
- Weight
- 272 g
- Dimensions
- Tiny black square
- Original OS
- Apple TV Software 5.0
- Launch price
- $99
- Released
- March 7, 2012
- Discontinued
- October 2016
- Graphics
- PowerVR SGX543MP2
- CPU cores
- 1
Generation delta
What changed?
Introduced
4- Ports
Native 1080p (1920 x 1080) video output over HDMI at 50/60Hz
Native 1080p (1920 x 1080) video output over HDMI at 50/60Hz.
- Silicon
Apple A5 single-core system-on-a-chip
Apple A5 single-core system-on-a-chip.
- Design
Redesigned 1080p user interface featuring prominent iOS-style app tiles
Redesigned 1080p user interface featuring prominent iOS-style app tiles.
- Ports
Peer-to-peer AirPlay support (introduced with the Rev A hardware revision, model A1469)
Peer-to-peer AirPlay support (introduced with the Rev A hardware revision, model A1469).
Changed
4- Product
Video output resolution increased from 720p to 1080p
Video output resolution increased from 720p to 1080p.
- Storage
System memory doubled from 256 MB to 512 MB LPDDR2 RAM
System memory doubled from 256 MB to 512 MB LPDDR2 RAM.
- Connectivity
Bluetooth connectivity upgraded to Bluetooth 4.0
Bluetooth connectivity upgraded to Bluetooth 4.0.
- Silicon
Silicon upgraded from Apple A4 to single-core Apple A5
Silicon upgraded from Apple A4 to single-core Apple A5.
Retired
1- Software
720p ceiling for iTunes video streaming and local AirPlay mirroring
720p ceiling for iTunes video streaming and local AirPlay mirroring.
Retained
4- Design
Identical palm-sized black enclosure (99 x 99 x 23 mm, 270 g)
Identical palm-sized black enclosure (99 x 99 x 23 mm, 270 g).
- Power
Built-in 6W universal power supply with silent passive cooling
Built-in 6W universal power supply with silent passive cooling.
- Connectivity
Port selection
HDMI, Optical digital audio (TOSLINK), 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, and Micro-USB service port.
- Design
Aluminum Apple Remote and $99 price tag (lowered to $69 in March 2015)
Aluminum Apple Remote and $99 price tag (lowered to $69 in March 2015).
Canonical predecessor
Apple TV (2nd generation) Apple TV (3rd generation)