I am sure that it is a little embarrassing for some at Apple to have a ship date over three months out on the website. Would it have been preferable to slap up a “sold out” label on the iPhone Duo after five minutes and stop taking orders? Because that’s what most companies do, at the cost of a cohesive and consistent customer experience.

Most people will order their iPhone Duo, enjoy trick or treating with their kids, Thanksgiving dinner with the in-laws, eat a delicious Christmas goose, ring in 2027 with some champagne, and break their New Year’s resolution… all before receiving the iPhone Duo they ordered today.

And that’s actually a good thing.

I was super disappointed by the new Apple TV 4k announcement, and yet I still might buy it...

So, I moved into my own place 2 year ago. I already have a 1st generation Apple TV 4k that went into my bedroom. I wanted to get a new Apple TV for my living room, but I have an Xbox Series X out there. My plan was to just patiently wait for the new Apple TV to be released and use the Xbox for streaming in the meantime. I thought that announcement would come in a couple of months (since the previous one was 2 years old at this point), but another 2 years went by. I was adamant about holding out because I've been burned by Apple in the past. I bought an iPad Air only to miss out on an upgraded M1 version 3 months later. I didn't want that to happen again. I tried to play Apple's game and try to follow their release schedule, only to be met with one of their longest new product delays.

The announcement finally happened, and it was worse than I could have imagined. To be honest, I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I would have been happy with an upgraded chip and passthrough (although, highly unlikely) at a similar or even lower price. In my mind, there's no way it could get worse - no matter what the upgrade is, it will be better in some way, even if marginal. Yeah, this one has an upgraded chip, but what good does that do if it's being wasted on AI features that I don't even want? Why do I want more microphones in my home in this growing surveillance state?

At the end of the day, I still need an Apple TV for my living room and I'm in a pickle now. Part of me wants to stick it to Apple and just buy the 2nd gen, but it's $250 now. Upgrading the remote is a must since I already have everything switched over to USB-C. So, second gen + new remote is pretty much the same as just getting the new one. To be honest, the AV1 support is also enticing, and I don't want to miss out on that now.

The worst part is that if I had just bought the 2nd gen two years ago, especially when it was cheaper, I would have been perfectly happy with it. Now I'm forced into a situation where I might as well buy the new one. I suppose my other options are just looking into a used 1st or 2nd gen or just ditching Apple TV altogether and sticking to my Xbox. Part of me just wonders if AV1 support even matters since that's the only saving grace for me for the upgrade.