Amazon is offering the first discount on Apple’s new Apple TV 4K, cutting $9 from its preorder price to $289.99 ahead of its November 13 release. It is a small markdown on a streaming box that costs nearly twice as much as the 2022 model did at launch. Every little bit helps, though this particular little bit probably won’t require a second wallet.
The new model, announced earlier this week, runs on Apple’s A19 chip and brings Siri AI support out of the box. Older Apple TV 4K models are also set to receive Siri AI through a software update, so the new hardware’s headline feature won’t be exclusive to buyers of the latest box. The more tangible difference is a set of far-field microphones, letting users make hands-free requests without speaking into the Siri Remote.
That means you can ask for recommendations—such as nature documentaries available on Apple TV—or ask questions about what you’re watching. Siri can also use personal context, but there’s a condition: you need an iPhone or iPad linked to your account that supports Apple Intelligence. The feature’s usefulness, then, depends partly on what other Apple hardware you own. Ecosystems have always been good at making one purchase feel like a down payment on another.
There are a couple of practical upgrades beyond Siri. The redesigned-for-this-release feature on the Siri Remote is Find My precision tracking: users can make the remote ring or use the Find My app on an iPhone to locate it. The Apple TV 4K can also pair with up to four compatible HomePod speakers for surround sound, up from two on previous models.
But the new box still omits audio passthrough and 120fps output—features that might seem reasonable to expect from a streamer approaching $300. As The Verge’s John Higgins noted, Apple has made some welcome changes, just fewer than some viewers may have hoped for. A faster chip and smarter voice assistant are useful, but they don’t fill every gap in the spec sheet.
For anyone already set on buying the new Apple TV 4K, Amazon’s $9 cut is the first available break on the preorder. It’s also a reminder that “first discount” and “meaningful discount” are separate milestones. Apple’s new box arrives November 13; whether the price comes down further is not yet clear. For now, the remote may be easier to find, while the justification for the price remains a more personal search.
Sources: Glitch Please! and The Verge — https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/1012962/apple-tv-4k-fourth-generation-fanttik-s1-pro-deal-sale — Source article by Sheena Vasani; upgrade details also reference John Higgins.
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