According to an internal e-mail obtained by 9to5Mac, Apple has completely discontinued the third-generation Apple TV and will stop selling it as soon as it fulfills all current orders for the device. It's the end of a long road for that Apple TV model, which was introduced in 2012, updated internally in 2013, and discounted to $69 in 2015. Apple is still selling the fourth-generation model with no changes to its price or storage capacity.

Though it was just removed from sale, it has been well over a year since the third-gen Apple TV received a software update of any great significance. The iOS-based operating system that it runs was still based on iOS 8.4, and though there was some speculation in the run-up to the fourth-generation Apple TV that Apple would build a version of tvOS for the older box, that never came to pass. As it stands, the third-gen model is now two iOS versions behind. It can no longer function as a HomeKit hub, doesn't properly support Apple's new two-factor authentication, can't use features like Apple Music or iCloud Photo Library, and still uses the busted discoveryd DNS service. It can still stream video from its included channels, but it is rapidly falling behind the competition.

Though it was time for the older model to go, this leaves Apple without a midrange or low-end TV streaming box to compete against a wave of new and increasingly capable products in that space from its competitors, including Amazon's new Fire TV stick, the just-announced 4K Chromecast Ultra, and both the $30 Roku Express and the 4K-capable Roku Premiere and Premiere+. And while the fourth-generation Apple TV is still more than fast enough for what it needs to do, paying $149 or $199 for a year-old box that can't handle 4K or HDR content is a tough pill to swallow for anyone not deeply embedded in Apple's ecosystem.

There's no word of a fifth-generation, 4K-capable Apple TV or a price cut for the current model, but hopefully a refresh is on Apple's to-do list for 2017.