Apple TV disappears from Best Buy inventory ahead of expected refresh

The Apple TV is in an interesting spot right now. Apple introduced the media hub, in its current form, all the way back in September of 2010. So in comparison to the company’s other iOS products, the ATV is long overdue for a refresh.

But given all of the rumors that we’ve heard that Apple is building a full blown TV set, you have to wonder if we’ll see another iteration of the set-top-box. Well whatever the next ‘Apple TV’ product is, we could see it very soon…

As noted by AppleInsider, the Apple TV has recently disappeared from Best Buy’s website. And not only that, but the nationwide electronics retailer also appears to be out of the product in many of its brick and mortar locations as well. What gives?

The ATV was spotted on BestBuy.com as recently as last month, prompting speculation that it has since been removed in anticipation of an upcoming product refresh. Rumors of a new Apple TV have been bouncing around since last Fall, when evidence of a third-generation TV device with a dual core processor was spotted in iOS 5’s source code.

Thanks to newer features like AirPlay and iOS 5’s AirPlay Mirroring, Apple TVs have become quite popular over the past 12 months. Tim Cook announced last week that the company sold close to 3 million of them in 2011. So while it’s certainly no iPhone or iPad, there’s no doubt that the ATV is an important product.

It’ll be interesting to see what Apple does with its Apple TV product going forward. And here’s hoping something happens sooner rather than later.

Would you buy a new Apple TV if it was just another set-top-box with upgraded specs?