Apple TV 3rd Generation is a digital media player that was designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple from 2012 to 2016 as part of the Apple TV series. The TV box has been introduced on March 7, 2012, and its price started at $99.
Apple TV is a device that can receive digital data for visual and audio content such as music, video, video games, or the screen display of certain other devices, and play it on a connected television set or other video display.
The Third Generation of Apple TV introduced changes mainly in speed performance due to a new 1 GHz Apple A5 processor, 512 MB of RAM, and an iOS 5. New Apple TV introduced as well support for 1080p video and a new user interface.
On January 29, 2013, Apple TV was slightly revised and features a smaller version of the Apple A5 processor and supports Peer-to-Peer AirPlay.
This Apple TV box has been discontinued on October 3, 2016.
Today Apple TV 3rd Generation is 11 years old!

Apple TV 3rd Generation Release Date and Original Price
Introduced | March 7, 2012 (A1427) January 29, 2013 (A1469) |
Released | March 16, 2012 (A1427) March 10, 2013 (A1469) |
Discontinued | March 7, 2012 (A1427) October 3, 2016 (A1469) |
Model Identifier | AppleTV3,1 (A1427) AppleTV3,2 (A1469) |
Model Number | A1427 A1469 |
EMC | 2528 |
Order Number | MD199LL/A |
Original Price | $99 |
Colors | Black |
Weight | 0.6 Ibs. – 1.088 KG |
Dimensions | 0.9” H x 3.9” W x 3.9″ D 2.28 cm H x 9.9 cm W x 9.9 cm D |
Tech Specs
Processor
Processor | Apple A5 |
Processor Speed | 1 GHz |
Architecture | 32-bit |
Number of Cores | 2 (One core is disabled) |
Storage
Storage | 8 GB (user-non-accessible) |
Memory
Memory | 512 MB LPDDR2 |
Graphics
Graphics Card | PowerVR SGX543MP2 |
Number of Cores | 2 |
Display
Built-in Display | N/A |
Connections
Ethernet | 1 – 10/100BASE-T |
Wi-Fi | 802.11a/b/g/n |
Bluetooth | Bluetooth support for Apple Wireless Aluminum Keyboard (requires Apple TV software version 5.2 or later) |
Infrared | 1 – For Apple Remote only |
USB | 1 – Micro-USB 480 Mbps (Service & Diagnostic only) |
TV Capability | Compatible with high-definition TVs with HDMI and capable of 1080p 60/50Hz |
Audio / Video | 1 – HDMI 1 – Optical audio |
AirPlay | Yes |
Media
Audio Formats | HE-AAC (V1) AAC (16 to 320 Kbps) Protected AAC (from iTunes Store) MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps) MP3 VBR Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4) Apple Lossless AIFF WAV Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through |
Photo Formats | JPEG GIF TIFF |
Video Formats | H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format |
Audio Output | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
Video Output | 1080p |
Software
Original OS | iOS 5.1 (Apple TV 5.0) |
Maximum OS | iOS 8.4.4 (Apple TV 7.5) |
iTunes | iTunes 10.6 or later |
Intelligent Assistant | None |
Peripherals
Peripherals | Apple Remote Aluminum |
Power
Power | 6 W Universal Power Supply |
References:
Apple Support – Apple TV (3rd generation): Technical Specifications