It’s the Apple TV’s 5th birthday! Exactly 5 years ago today, Steve Jobs took the stage at an Apple Special Event to unleash the device that would eventually allow us to wirelessly stream from the iPad 2 to an HDTV.
Originally called the iTV, Apple’s new home entertainment device was the “one more thing” of Apple’s “It’s Showtime” press event held in San Fracisco on September 12, 2006. It was originally introduced as a much smaller Mac Mini with Apple Remote support, and ran a modified version of OS X with an interfaced that looked like Front Row on steroids.
The Apple TV actually hit retail shelves on January 9, 2007 with lukewarm consumer reception and less than impressive sales. Check out the below video to watch as Steve Jobs announces the iTV (later Apple TV) to the masses:
