14 DAY TRIAL // Of all the modifications being made to Apple TVs, the bigger hard drive is by far the most popular one. Despite all the interest in this otherwise simple upgrade, Apple seems to be turning a blind eye on it.
A company called WeaKnees has started shipping Seagate 160GB Apple TV hard drive replacements for US$199. According to them, the procedure takes only a few minutes, after which the Apple TV will automatically re-synchronize with your iTunes to download all of your music, videos, and photos. The replacement hard drive is specially prepared, with the Apple TV software already installed, so there are no additional steps necessary, and no extra configuration needed. The WeaKnees package even includes the necessary tools to open the Apple TV box in order to install the new drive, as well as detailed documentation.
While all this is very nice, and some companies are also offering a similar service where you send the box in and they take care of everything for you, there is one small snag. The issue is that opening up your Apple TV box to replace the hard drive will void your warrantee. Apple has not give anyone their blessing to do this, offer no such service themselves, and have no configuration options for the Apple TV that would allow you to buy a bigger hard drive for it.
Exactly why the company is playing this way is unclear. At the end of the day, replacing the hard drive is a very simple procedure, that should be easily doable within minutes at any old Apple Store where a screwdriver can be found. Apple could offer a similar service easily and please both customers who would be able to sleep better at night with an intact warrantee and their cash reserves as this would put money into their pockets.