Why Does Apple TV Have a Useless USB Port?
By
Staten Island, NY Posted: 12/15/2015 1:00:00 AM
Apple has a reputation of eliminating unnecessary features, but somehow the Apple TV still has a non-functioning USB port.
If you look on the back of the current and previous generations of the Apple TV, you'll find a USB port. According to Apple, that port is for maintenance purposes only, and it has no purpose for consumers.
If it's not there for customer access, why bother putting it there in the first place? I'm sure that if Apple actually needed to repair an Apple TV, they could simply connect to it using Wifi or wired Ethernet. Under the slim chance that whatever service they may need can't be done by connecting via the WiFi or Ethernet, they could just as easily placed a low cost diagnostic connector on the inside.
The most frustrating thing is knowing that the "Useless" port would be the one of the most popular features of Apple TV if they let you use it.
In fact, a lot of people "Jailbreak" their Apple TV specifically so they can use the USB port to store music, movies and photos.
Considering the fact that the USB port is disabled, it's very strange that Apple used the latest generation USB-C connector for the newest generation. If it's simply there for diagnostic and maintenance purposes, did they really need the newest technology?
I hope that they eventually change their mind, and give people access to the port. I'd love to store my media library on an external drive and have instant access to it from my TV.
Joe Crescenzi, Founder
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