Apple TV 3rd Generation (2012)

Remote power button fell out! – Unit worked beautifully until yesterday when the power button fell out. We can place it back but it keeps falling out. Googled and seems to be a common issue. No marks on controller and yes we can use our phones or ipad to control the Apple TV however we really liked the convenience of the remote. We have been unlucky it would seem ….. this is the second 4K unit purchased and the remote broke on the first unit also. Both just out of warranty!

Love it – I have had my apple tv for quite a few years now and I can't live without it! Use it to watch netflix on my tv and also to purchase movies when I feel like. Show details

Great addition to any TV – Apple TV 3rd gen is great. The Wi-Fi is easy to setup and you are off an running. Netflix is great on the apple TV. Its quick and easy to move through menus and the remote is simple and looks great. Apps are easy to find and in a convenient location.  Show details

I could eat it – I love my apple tv so much, I could eat it! It is fabulous, i can watch everything i ever wanted, it is impossible to run out of things to watch and at such a cheap rate love love love I just have to work out how to get it off the wife

Great For Air Playing From Other Rooms & Apple Devices – I use my Apply TV in my bedroom. The device itself has apps to access Ten Play and Stan. I can also Airplay other apps and photos or video to the Apple TV itself and watch them on the big screen. I wasn't happy with the fact that I needed to buy an Apple speaker that has Airplay to stream audio.  Show details

Adequate but very average performance. Telstra TV is better – I've now owned a 3rd generation Apple TV and Telstra TV for some 4 months now and can report on the relative performance of each, using them side by side. Until I purchased the Telstra TV I thought the Apple TV was brilliant. Not so much now. In fact we now tend to use the Telegraph TV most often. Why? Because it performs better and has much… Read more

better information in the menus.

One complaint I have is frequent buffering issues with the Apple TV. In the middle of viewing a show it will simply stall, sometimes for minutes, seeming trying to buffer. Sometimes the show won't start, just waits buffering. Restarting sometimes helps, but it is so frustrating, especially when the Telstra TV doesn't exhibit the same level of trouble.

During July Netflix on Apple TV was buggy enough to be nearly useless. You simply couldn't access Genres on the menu. This was a problem with Apple not Netflix. It took Apple 2 weeks to fix the issue - extremely poor.

Consequently, I bought the Telstra TV out of frustration. The only reason we still use the Apple TV is the movies. If I could move them to Telstra TV then I'd probably pension the Apple off.

USELESS – It is a useless piece of rubbish... Like someone said above, plug and play... yeah, hardly. Do not waste your money on the 3rd gen. In fact, I'm about to give away mine... Sorry, rant ended, to the facts now: - Doesn't have any internal storage - Relies on your computer being on with iTunes actually opened or the "majestic iCloud", Apples worst… Read more

invention after this one...

- Mine keeps on switching off very every now and then. The screen goes into static and comes back. But it's so rare that JB Hifi didn't want to give me a refund. But try watching the last 20 mins of your favourite show and getting that happening... Not fun.

- I just spent 20 mins trying to hook up an app from my iPhone to stream music: 20 mins!!! It appears in my iPhone as Airplay but nothing, it just doesn't want to play. Its like it has a mind of its own.

- You can't customise the desktop at all and the apps in there are crap. You're literally trapped in Apples world.

Hopefully the 4th gen will be much better, but to be honest, I'm going to look at a lot of reviews and read way more about it, because in regards to the 3rd gen, I jumped into it with my eyes closed like I did in the past with many other Apple products before Steve Jobs died in 2011.

Perfect for my use – I have had an apple tv box for many years but didn't realise i had the latest model. The latest model allows you to have basically any apps you want on one screen

Love it – Replaces a lot of products in my house, i use it for everything. Its not a regretful purchase and i would look into buying an upgraded one when i need to

Apple TV 3 vs Chromecast 2 - Chromecast 2 has 20% clearer picture – This review compares Apple TV 3rd generation to Chromecast 2. Straight up I'll mention that I'm an Apple Fan but in my view Chromecast 2 is the better device. I wanted a device to stream movies and videos from my Mac, and also it had to have a clear picture. And it has to be simple. Streaming from the internet is not a priority for me. So I… Read more

bought both devices on the same day to compare.

Picture Quality: Both devices say they stream at 1080p but Chromecast 2 had the clearer picture by about 20%. Apple TV's picture quality seemed a little darker than Chromcast 2, with a picture quality similar to when I watched videos through the USB port on my TV.

Menu: Apple TV has a built in menu, but I found the free PLEX app with Chromecast 2 just as good as the Apple TV, if not better.

Setup: Apple TV was a little more involved than Chromecast to setup, but not by much.

Overall Chromecast 2 had a better picture quality by about 20% streaming from you computer to TV is very easy. Brilliant.

Useless since main features deleted – Apple TV WAS excellent for selecting Free Radio Stations for music. These free radio stations were stopped 29th January 2016 with NO NOTICE. Was excellent for selecting favourite tunes & new artists & then purchasing. I never used Apple TV for anything else but music to connect to my TV & Sound Bar. Now GONE for good my favourite 300+ stations.… Read more

WHY not notice given? I would have purchased more of my favourites. I purchased APPLE TV only for radio stations. Useless now.

Apple store had no idea of this main feature deleted. Spoke online to technician & his supervisor. Sent into store & store was unaware. Massive online research to find out the problem. ITUNES radio deleted from Apple TV. Why would they keep selling Apple TV??

Very Happy – Easy to set up. No problems. You did have to purchase a HDMI cable as this did not come with it. The only improvement I can suggest is the ability to add new apps like Presto, iView, etc..... to better the use of this device. Overall for the price of under $100, what more can you ask for.

Well thought out design - typical of Apple products – Bought this for my father as he has just discovered the Internet and YouTube. Plug and play simplicity which is synonymous with most Apple products. Sleek design, and modern even for a precious model. Remote is simple, and well thought out which makes navigating a breeze. Still working out subscriptions, but I know it's sharing capabilities make this product very powerful. Definitely worth the price.

Excellent – Fantastic! Can stream all out favourite shows easily now. My wife and kids can not be without it now. I managed to find it at a discounted price too $88.00 Could not have asked for a better Christmas present this year! Definately well worth it and brings hours of enjoyment for everyone

Luv the apple tv – Luv the apple tv. Great apps, very fast according to your download speed. Very small neat compact and blends with all furniture. Wireless connectivity excellent. Cons; can't download new apps but thats a small price to pay. Overall... Excellent choice for smart Tv viewing. Great price point, affordable for all..

As good as you expect an apple product to be like – Love my Apple TV, it made my 50" 2010 plasma Panasonic to better than current UHD tvs I think. Don't see any reason why I should buy a smart tv. Best value for money...haven't watched much of Apple content via Apple TV, used it most for watching Netflix and high Def YouTube content...amazing device, never needs restarts where as I have a we media… Read more

player that needs a hard reboot everyday (ridiculous), works best in my Apple Eco system and so easy and convenient to use. Works best with Apple TV remote app on App Store so I never use the remote that came along...what else would you want...wish if it had the option to connect external media...since its Apple so I'd have to learn and start liking what Apple wants you to like...still suggest all to stick to 2012 model as long as Apple doesn't release 4K version in coming years.

October 30th 2017 Update: Changed my entire TV experience

just upgraded from 3rd gen after using that since 2013. dont have a 4k tv so just went for this non 4k version. loving the variety of apps and catching up on a lot of free to air tv content via apple tv when i want. the new apple tv app makes it very easy to search for content, it looks at all streaming services Netflix, stan itunes and abc iview,sbs, channel 7....everything and then gives you the option to choose where you want to play it from.....Its super fast and responsive.....very well justified investment. i have an old plasma non smart tv, in my case its very much ideal however i'd have still gone for it regardless if had the latest smart tv. Apple OS is simply amazing. I am not into games so can't feedback on those...over all very nice...love it big time...because of apple tv i spend less time on free to air channels

Love it! – Bought my apple TV after discovering my new smart TV does not have the netflix app. Best decision i have ever made, not only does it have netflix but it has youtube, storage and so much more. its very easy to use and i can take it around with my from TV to TV. Very affordable & i will never look back on buying it!

It Was Good – Apple tv was very easier to use but kept dropping out half way though movies or videos, etc. It is something that is I would go back I wouldn't of spent money on it but other than that it was ok. The music on it work so easy just wished the movies would to.

Ok but easily superseded by other streaming devices – Apple TV is a good format for those tied to the apple ecosystem, however I have personally found these days that being tied to one platform is not advantageous either financially or content wise. I would suggest taking a long look at whether the Apple TV fills your needs. It did mine at the time. However being flexible with systems will be better in the Long run

A cute little system with some obvious flaws – Its a simple to use system if you either are knowledgeable to Apple products or not. It's looking a little outdated though the new one will certainly iron out the flaws. The remote, though is sleek it is truly annoying and seeing pictures of the model coming at the end of this year finally place a touch pad. If it fulfils the simplicity and functionality for the newest version I will not be looking to other products that do a similar role.

Great TV companion – Love the way I can put my iPad and iPhone content up on to the plasma screen with the he Apple TV. Doesn't work with Foxtel, as they have blocked this functionality. Best thing of all is that it has Netflix direct on Apple TV, so don't need to buy or rent Content from our friends at Apple any more, can watch Netflix instead. easy to use with the… Read more

simple remote which looks like an old iPod! Overall really happy with the technology the Appple TV brings - anything that's wireless is great...

fantastic – love it, now we can watch net-flicks and movies from iTunes. love playing my iTunes music on the tv. We have 2 in our home. It is easy to set up and use (just remember your password) This little gadget gives you so much more entertainment options. I purchased mine from office works.

Over it – Both Apple TV and my internet provider blame each other for the useless device I have had connected to my TV for three weeks. Gonna take the Apple device back to get a refund. Internet provider says my download and upload speeds are fine, but still can't get a movie out of Apple. Three attempts to download movies elicited responses of anything… Read more

from 10 mins. (didn't happen) up to 409 hours and 13 minutes! If I keep this device, I think the download will take longer than I have to live!

Doesn't do what I bought it for – I bought it primarily to mirror my computer and iPad to my TV while I'm watching TV on demand. I gave up after it dropped out half a dozen times during the first programme I tried to watch then just dropped out altogether. Had to turn off the iPad completely to clear the programme that was still stuck in the system. It also took nearly ten minutes… Read more

to start up when I switched it on. Don't know if it's faulty or just not very good at doing what I bought it for. Wishing I'd just bought some cables. At least it plays my music...

Love it ! – I bought it to watch our iTunes movies saved on the computer on the TV without having to bother with moving chargers, plugs etc.. and still be able to use all my devices while a movie is playing (especially when my son is watching kids stuff).. Works a treat ! I have tried streaming movies that are not loaded on my laptop and worked great, but mind you this depends on your internet connection not the device itself.

Waste of money – This product is close to useless in Australia. It is purely made for the US and Apple are scraping up a few extra bucks from Australians. If you are into American sports you may find it useful. I purchased it to get the laptop off the floor and keep the media room tidy (dumb move). The feed must be half of what the laptop has, as the Apple TV spends so much time buffering.

Love Apple – Love this little gadget, so very easy to use..Just added another one to a bedroom TV... Having to type anything in is a bit of a pain but could always sync my wireless keyboard to it if needed..!!..Really nothing more to say, love everything Apple including my new Apple Watch

Better than expected ! – Brilliant product, mirror anything from your ipad/iphone to your TV. Not finding any issues at all with streaming, have netflix and works perfectly. Connects to HDMI but I have a VGA adapter that is working fine as the HDMI ports on my TV are not working. Would not hesitate in recommending

Not for Australia – Folks, Apple TV as a concept and product is indeed viable and great. However, this is primarily for the US market or any environment where proper decent connection is available like in Scandinavia, parts of the UK, Germany, Korea etc. Australian third-world style infrastructure and garbage-like ADSL connections are not capable of handling… Read more

bandwidth requirement for anything like Netflex, Apple TV and the rest of streaming-based products unless you are happy to wait for hours and days to download a miserable movie or hired TV show. Don't waste your money and nerves unless you have minimum Cable connection or if you are lucky enough to have NBN. Any speed less than 30Mbps is futile for this product.

Cost of TV Shows – When it's a new series or season why is it cheaper to buy individual episodes of a TV show rather than the whole season? An example of this is The Good Wife season 6. Individual episodes are $3.49. To buy season 6 (10 episodes) is $54.99.

Crap – Don't waste your money, absolute crap, takes about 27 years to download a movie, it would be quicker to fly to the U.S. and rent one - where the stupid product was made for. No good for Australia.

Seamless connection to the world – Yes, getflix & Netflix! Easy & under $20au a month. Great TV great movies & all your iTunes content. Aus movies options too. Just work it out.

Easy & Reliable – We've just added a second Apple TV to our household af 3 years after buying the first. Integration with our other Apple gear is easy, set-up simple, and rarely have we had an issue. If we do then a simple re-start of the unit seems to fix it. We use the Airplay function a lot to stream content up from mobile devices, and the movie range is more… Read more

than decent. Pricing thereabouts with others such at NetFlicks, etc. Top marks to Apple too for their support service. On a couple of occasions the kids have downloaded a movie they shouldn't have, Apple have simply reversed the charge.

waste of money – dont bother.........i like apple products but can only say this must be a rushed product just to say "we have one too".