Wow. The price went from 129 to 199 to 299. That's nuts. Also, I find it pretty hilarious because for a couple years people have been speculating that Apple would release a low cost version to compete with the sticks.

Anyway, it's now too much money for something that is just going to open Jellyfin.

Credit where credit is due, critics claiming "[Apple device] is too expensive for something that just does [basic function]" have been proven wrong for decades.

It seems like Apple is perfectly happy to send low spend customers to their Roku to install the Apple TV app from there.

With the way the smart TV market is playing out, the type of customer who actually wants to add a streaming box to a TV that already comes with all the apps they need to play back content is already a premium value proposition.

i.e., if your TV already comes with all the apps: Netflix, Paramount+, HBO Max, Disney+, etc, why are you buying a streaming box at all? Presumably because you want a more premium experience than your TV currently offers. That means that compromising on price isn't the right move from a product perspective.