Will there be a new Apple TV launching soon?
As of this writing, BestBuy.com and Walmart.com don't even list the Apple TV on their sites, and Amazon has stopped selling it. Apple's online store is the only major e-commerce Web site CNET has come across that lists the Apple TV, and actually has the set-top box in stock.
AppleInsider, which first reported on the news, says it's a similar story in many brick-and-mortar stores around the country, with one Best Buy sales representative telling the blog that "it doesn't look like we'll be getting [the Apple TV] back."
So, what's going on? All signs point to an Apple TV refresh.
In many cases, Apple allows the stock of its products to deplete before it launches new versions. The company hasn't launched a new Apple TV since September 2010, and with more sophisticated set-top boxes on store shelves, the timing seems right for Apple to deliver a new version.
Rumors of a new Apple TV launching soon arose earlier this week when retailers showed the device as "out of stock" on their Web sites. At that time, several blogs were reporting that the new device could launch with iOS 5 and 1080p support, as well as applications.