Apple TV is a digital media receiver developed and manufactured by Apple Inc. The device was introduced by Apple in 2006, with a second smaller and less expensive version introduced in 2010. Its current standard retail cost of $99 is almost 1/3 of the price of the first generation Apple TV. Apple TV’s function is to play internet protocol television or IPTV content on enhanced or high definition TVs.

IPTV content from Netflix, iTunes, YouTube, MobileMe, Rotten Tomatoes or Flickr can be played through Apple TV. It can also play podcasts. The first generation of Apple TV was able to store content, however the second generation does not have a hard drive, disabling it to do so. This means that content can only be streamed on to the Apple TV, but storage would have to be done through another device.

There are some negative reviews on Apple TV, just like in and newly in any newly introduced hardware. For one, many do not like the limited shows available and compatible with Apple TV. The compatibility with media applications is also not the same as its cousins iPhone and iPad such as in the case of Pandora. Also, the Apple TV needs to be connected with HDMI TV sets, and will not work with older ones.