Apple to Stop iTunes Support for First-Gen Apple TV, Older Windows Versions on May 25
Apple is dropping software and iTunes support for the original Apple TV, their first media box set that came out in 2007. Along with the first Apple TV, the company is also phasing out iTunes Store support for Windows XP and Vista by May 25, 2018.
"Starting May 25, Apple will introduce security changes that prevent older Windows PCs from using the iTunes Store. If you have Windows XP or Vista PC, your computer is no longer supported by Microsoft, and you're not able to use the latest version of iTunes," Apple explained in their new support article.
The same goes for the first generation Apple TV, a device that the company now describes as an "obsolete Apple product" that will not have its software updated past May 25.
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Apple explains that they are making the changes as part of their security measures, perhaps to ensure that only the latest version of iTunes, the one that the company is currently updating, can make purchases from the iTunes Store.
After May 25, only the most updated version of iTunes can even connect to the online store, making older versions unusable for buying online content or redownloading older purchases. With the latest iTunes only supported on Windows 7 or newer, only the later Windows versions will be able to connect to the iTunes store once the new policies take effect.
The same goes for the Apple TV — only second-generation devices or those that are newer are able to run the newest iTunes version.
For users that want to hold on to their Gen 1 Apple TV or their Windows XP or Vista computers, they can still run their older version of iTunes and play their locally stored media library with no issues, as Ars Technica noted. However, they won't be able to get full access to their iTunes account through those devices anymore, after May 25.
Apple had already discontinued repair support for the first generation Apple TV back in 2015, and this new update is the company's way of finally dropping the "obsolete" product for good.
