Apple TV 4K 64GB model supply tight, new orders will likely miss Christmas delivery

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited November 2017
Supplies of the 64GB Apple TV 4K have apparently dried up, with only limited stock available at retail -- and orders placed today won't ship until January 4.

Apple TV 4K stock status


It isn't clear why the unit's stock is depleted. AppleInsider spot checks across the United States show little or no stock available at Apple Retail for pickup.

Apple TV 4K stock status


At present, the online Apple Store says that the device will ship in four to five weeks. The 32GB model is unaffected, and has wide availability.

We have reached out to Apple for more details regarding the stock depletion.

Practically, the 32GB model isn't particularly crippled with Apple's intended use case. Loading videos into an third-party video playing app like VLC may be an issue, and users who want a large amount of Apple TV apps loaded will obviously run into problems quicker on the 32GB model than on the 64GB.





The Apple TV 4K was generally welcomed, with the device not auto-switching resolution in accordance with the content seen as a flaw. However, auto-switching has been restored to the device in the iOS 11.2 beta releases.

For Apple TV 4K availability across Apple authorized resellers, please visit AppleInsider's Apple TV 4K Price Guide.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 31
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,930member
    Interesting. I understand shortage can happen if deal is offered as free AppleTV 64GB bundled with SLING,DirectTV, etc streaming services sign up. But, only free offer out their is for 32GB AppleTV.
    edited November 2017
  • Reply 2 of 31
    Wow, that’s surprising. Didn’t even see many Black Friday deals for the Apple TV 4K that would have caused a sudden shortage. Strange.
    Soli
  • Reply 3 of 31
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,937member
    Seems like AppleTV 4K has been in short supply for quite some time. They caught up briefly, but now it look as if they're falling behind again on orders. I guess if you want one...you better buy now somewhere. 
  • Reply 4 of 31
    xzuxzu Posts: 139member
    Yeah I bought a raspberry pi, thought I would have more fun with that.
    zroger73
  • Reply 5 of 31
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,922administrator
    macxpress said:
    Seems like AppleTV 4K has been in short supply for quite some time. They caught up briefly, but now it look as if they're falling behind again on orders. I guess if you want one...you better buy now somewhere. 
    The 32GB model seems to be available just about everywhere. We'll keep an eye on it.
    xzu
  • Reply 6 of 31
    tshapitshapi Posts: 372member
    wood1208 said:
    Interesting. I understand shortage can happen if deal is offered as free AppleTV 64GB bundled with SLING,DirectTV, etc streaming services sign up. But, only free offer out their is for 32GB AppleTV.
    IMO the only real difference between the 32 and the 64 is the memory so that would stand to reason that the memory is in short supply. So it’s a good guess that the 32gb and 64gb provably feed from the same memory pool. So If the 32 is more popular than the 64 that would probably mean the 64gb has trouble getting its memory. 
    spliff monkey
  • Reply 7 of 31
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    I noticed yesterday that NO Apple TV is listed on Amazon that I could find. Links to third party retailers, yes. Amazon stock, no. The Amazon app is nowhere to be found or rumored anymore. Has Bezos changed his mind.
    randominternetpersonSolicaliwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 31
    I picked up a couple of Amazon Fire TV sticks for $25 each (reg. $40) on a BF/CM sale.

    I'm almost ashamed to say it, but I like them better than my Apple TVs. The build quality of the Fire TV stick and its remote is inferior to Apple's, but I find the remote easier to use and it feels more like a remote control should feel (instead of the slick, thin, too-symmetrical design of the Siri remote which I've never liked). The build quality/appearance of the device itself doesn't matter because it's hidden.

    The Netflix and Hulu experiences are virtually identical. I like the karaoke-esque scrolling lyrics and full-screen artwork of the Amazon device better (both features absent on the Apple TV). And, the Amazon device obviously has Prime Video built in (this feature is still absent from the Apple TV). The Fire TV stick also keeps track of data usage - something important for those without unlimited internet - yet another feature absent from the Apple TV.

    The Apple TV may be better for gaming with its superior processor and graphics (I wouldn't know since I'm not a gamer), but for...you know...watching TV...it's tough to justify the $180 price tag of the Apple TV.


  • Reply 9 of 31
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    tshapi said:
    wood1208 said:
    Interesting. I understand shortage can happen if deal is offered as free AppleTV 64GB bundled with SLING,DirectTV, etc streaming services sign up. But, only free offer out their is for 32GB AppleTV.
    IMO the only real difference between the 32 and the 64 is the memory so that would stand to reason that the memory is in short supply. So it’s a good guess that the 32gb and 64gb provably feed from the same memory pool. So If the 32 is more popular than the 64 that would probably mean the 64gb has trouble getting its memory. 
    There are no reports, no evidence, no rumors that memory is in short supply anywhere. The ATV4 gets trashed regularly here and elsewhere as a substandard, overpriced, useless POS so demand should be almost nonexistent, right? That leaves two possibilities IMHO. Either demand is actually high for the 64GB model, or Apple believed the negative hype and limited production.
    xzucali
  • Reply 10 of 31
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,922administrator
    lkrupp said:
    I noticed yesterday that NO Apple TV is listed on Amazon that I could find. Links to third party retailers, yes. Amazon stock, no. The Amazon app is nowhere to be found or rumored anymore. Has Bezos changed his mind.
    Amazon's ban on the Apple TV because of "customer confusion" is still in place.

    No idea on Bezos, I'm afraid.
    xzuwatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 31
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,843member
    My 64GB Apple TV 4 arrived this last weekend.  I'm glad I ordered early.  I like the new remote.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 31
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,038member
    lkrupp said:
    I noticed yesterday that NO Apple TV is listed on Amazon that I could find. Links to third party retailers, yes. Amazon stock, no. The Amazon app is nowhere to be found or rumored anymore. Has Bezos changed his mind.
    I hope not, but there's been no mention of the promised app and it appear they have gone back to not selling Apple TVs (but they do sell Rokus).

    lkrupp said:
    I noticed yesterday that NO Apple TV is listed on Amazon that I could find. Links to third party retailers, yes. Amazon stock, no. The Amazon app is nowhere to be found or rumored anymore. Has Bezos changed his mind.
    Amazon's ban on the Apple TV because of "customer confusion" is still in place.

    No idea on Bezos, I'm afraid.
    Can you explain the concept of this customer confusion? I'm at a loss in what you mean by it.
    edited November 2017 watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 31
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    lkrupp said:
    I noticed yesterday that NO Apple TV is listed on Amazon that I could find. Links to third party retailers, yes. Amazon stock, no. The Amazon app is nowhere to be found or rumored anymore. Has Bezos changed his mind.
    Amazon's ban on the Apple TV because of "customer confusion" is still in place.

    No idea on Bezos, I'm afraid.
    Given that both Apple and Amazon have promised the app would be available "later this year", they are both on the hook for delivering it. Amazon has also stated that the App would be coming to the Apple TV 2 & 3 as well. That strongly suggests both companies are at fault for delivering this app in a "timely manner". It's really disingenuous to offer a timeline at launch, and then wait until the very last minute to deliver. If they miss the deadline, then it's basically false advertising.
  • Reply 14 of 31
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,922administrator
    Soli said:

    Mike Wuerthele
    said:
    lkrupp said:
    I noticed yesterday that NO Apple TV is listed on Amazon that I could find. Links to third party retailers, yes. Amazon stock, no. The Amazon app is nowhere to be found or rumored anymore. Has Bezos changed his mind.
    Amazon's ban on the Apple TV because of "customer confusion" is still in place.

    No idea on Bezos, I'm afraid.
    Can you explain the concept of this customer confusion? I'm at a loss in what you mean by it.
    Sure. Amazon's reason for pulling the Apple TV and Chromecast at the time was "customer confusion." As in, customers would be baffled by the lack of Amazon Prime Video on the devices.

    Regardless of the fact that they are the ones responsible for delivering the app on the platform to support it.

    tmayxzuSoliwatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 31
    We ended up just buying a 32GB a week or two ago. I'll guess the shortage is a miscalculation -- the $20 price difference is not enough -- almost everyone choses the 64GB. I certainly would have done so, given the choice. But thanks to AI I also know I don't really need it, so I happily bought the 32GB with the 64GB being out of stock.
    edited November 2017 xzurandominternetpersonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 31
    You can get the 64GB version at Best Buy. It says shipping isn't available but if you do pickup, its saying December 8 (my local BB anyway). 
  • Reply 17 of 31
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,038member
    Soli said:

    Mike Wuerthele
    said:
    lkrupp said:
    I noticed yesterday that NO Apple TV is listed on Amazon that I could find. Links to third party retailers, yes. Amazon stock, no. The Amazon app is nowhere to be found or rumored anymore. Has Bezos changed his mind.
    Amazon's ban on the Apple TV because of "customer confusion" is still in place.

    No idea on Bezos, I'm afraid.
    Can you explain the concept of this customer confusion? I'm at a loss in what you mean by it.
    Sure. Amazon's reason for pulling the Apple TV and Chromecast at the time was "customer confusion." As in, customers would be baffled by the lack of Amazon Prime Video on the devices.

    Regardless of the fact that they are the ones responsible for delivering the app on the platform to support it.

    Thanks. That makes sense, but it still feels like Amazon's just using that excuse to boy their own products. Are all Smart TVs sold on Amazon capable of playing Amazon Prime video?

    We ended up just buying a 32GB a week or two ago. I'll guess the shortage is a miscalculation -- the $20 price difference is not enough -- almost everyone choses the 64GB. I certainly would have done so, given the choice. But thanks to AI I also know I don't really need it, so I happily bought the 32GB with the 64GB being out of stock.
    The very small price disparity does seem to make the push to the higher capacity an easy option. That said, I choose the lowest because I never used that much on my 4th gen model.
  • Reply 18 of 31
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    xzu said:
    Yeah I bought a raspberry pi, thought I would have more fun with that.
    Who the hell cares and how does that relate to this in any way
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 31
    Bought a new ATV at Saddle Creek (Memphis/Germantown, TN) and they had a pile of ATV’s on display and all were the 64GB. They had to bring the 32GB model I wanted from the back. Guess it is not a universal issue.
  • Reply 20 of 31
    ksecksec Posts: 1,569member
    lkrupp said:
    tshapi said:
    wood1208 said:
    Interesting. I understand shortage can happen if deal is offered as free AppleTV 64GB bundled with SLING,DirectTV, etc streaming services sign up. But, only free offer out their is for 32GB AppleTV.
    IMO the only real difference between the 32 and the 64 is the memory so that would stand to reason that the memory is in short supply. So it’s a good guess that the 32gb and 64gb provably feed from the same memory pool. So If the 32 is more popular than the 64 that would probably mean the 64gb has trouble getting its memory. 
    There are no reports, no evidence, no rumors that memory is in short supply anywhere. The ATV4 gets trashed regularly here and elsewhere as a substandard, overpriced, useless POS so demand should be almost nonexistent, right? That leaves two possibilities IMHO. Either demand is actually high for the 64GB model, or Apple believed the negative hype and limited production.
    Not short supply, but raising nand price, may be one factor.
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