Ahead of Apple’s WWDC in June and an expected Apple TV refresh, shipping times for its current generation Apple TV have just slipped from in stock to 1-2 weeks. Apple’s estimates for shipping Apple TV from its online store often jump between being “in stock” and “1 day”, but a longer delay in shipping could signal Apple’s intent to introduce a refreshed Apple TV in the near future.
We reported earlier this year that Apple’s work on a next-generation Apple TV product continued including slimmer hardware, a new tactile remote, and a redesigned operating system with App Store-like functionality. Others followed up with reports claiming that Apple will unveil the new Apple TV at its WWDC developer conference in June — Apple confirmed earlier this month that WWDC 2015 would take place from June 8-12 and focus on the future of iOS and OS X — although some read into the graphics on its invite as a possible clue at new Apple TV announcements:
It’s possible Apple’s delayed shipping times for the current generation Apple TV could be related to regular supply fluctuations, but it’s been quite some time — around the time the product first launched — since it wasn’t shipping immediately or within a day from Apple.
Apple last refreshed its third-gen Apple TV quietly in March 2013 with upgraded internals, but apart from a few iOS 8 features it has remained the same as the previous model released in March 2012.
