Apple today seeded tvOS developers with tvOS 9.1 beta 1, the new operating system that powers the new Apple TV.
tvOS 9.0, which was released with the new Apple TV, has been criticized by users as being unfinished in many areas. After spending a few days with our units, the new Apple TV has more rough edges than a sack of saw blades.
In addition, there are other items longtime Apple users would expect the company to have had ready at release, for example, Apple’s own Remote app is incompatible with the new Apple TV, forcing users to use the included Siri remote to slowly plod through an alphabetized onscreen keyboard.
To update, tvOS betas require the Apple TV unit to be connected to the developer’s Mac with a USB-C to USB-A cable. The tvOS beta software is then downloaded and installed via iTunes.
MacDailyNews Take: We still can’t get over the fact that Apple’s Remote app is incompatible with the new Apple TV. An intern could have banged that out over the weekend. We exaggerate for effect, but not by much.
Is Apple Inc. growing too quickly and getting too overstuffed with post-Steve newbie employees who think “good enough” is good enough?
The state of the new Apple TV upon release is a worrying sign. AAPL shareholders should be mindful.
SEE ALSO:
Open letter to Tim Cook: Apple needs to do better – January 5, 2015
Sign me up!!
iOS REMOTE usability would make it a far better experience!! I’m with MDN on this – confounding how that was missed / overlooked!!
This makes Microsoft look competent.
One of my biggest fears for Apple:
“good enough” is good enough.
Maybe if the CEO wasn’t ‘galavantimg’ around the world pushing a personal agenda and sp not more time on his job….
Maybe you should do something of consequence rather than spouting off your woefully uninformed and ignorant opinions.
Hey MDN, who are these post-Steve Jobs “newbie employees” you tweeted about? Eddy Cue, who is in charge of Apple TV has been at Apple since 1989.
Apple Music is not so great and Apple TV clearly wasn’t ready for prime time. Perhaps Cook needs to replace Eddy Cue.
I thought Eddy Cue was the guy who left once already buy Apple paid a lot to him to have him come back.
Maybe he has never been “fully back” since he came back if he is the guy I am thinking of.
That’s Bob Mansfield
Oh ya, Bob Mansfield. Dang, I got the two confused. Thank you.
No Eddy Cue has been at Apple since 1989. He never left. Steve Jobs charged him with creating the first online store for Apple.
Too late. My goes to the store tomorrow for a nice $250 credit on that card. I don’t remember selecting AppleCare (I usually don’t on items less than $500) but it appears I did. We should make this device break records for the most returns Apple history. Maybe that would send an appropriate sign?
As a LONGTIME Apple fan, this news about AppleTV is the most worrying. What is missing is…STEVE JOBS.
Yes, the jerk that speaks his mind, challenges people, and speaks to a higher calling.
What I want to know is…did the designers SIGN THE BOX?
Someone needs to remind Tim and the team that you don’t get second chances at first impressions.
Wasn’t the remote app incompatible with the previous update to Apple TV’s OS for a while? Not really acceptable, but I recall it didn’t work for a time. I’m keeping mine because I wanted another anyway and the BBC is launching an app, and it will get better. It’s a shame it was given so much potential but has seemingly been given the same hobby level amount of backing by Apple internally.
Greetings from Eastern Europe. While I am eagerly waiting for the new Apple TV to appear in our stores (hopefully in a next few weeks) I let kind folks in US and Western Europe do all the beta testing for me so once I will plug it in it will work flawless. Will not be able to use Siri though as Apple thought it is a good idea to disable it for my Apple ID (small and unimportant country thingy).
That woman that runs the store and eddy clueless should both be fired. Each fresh move for them is just a fresh mistake.
You have a real remote, use it.
This new beta just proves Apple is listening and will start improving on everything in TVOS.
What I find disappointing is the usual reviewers of Apple products – you all know the ones – who have early access to the products and who are supposed to be independent have produced reviews ahead of release with none of the obvious shortcomings highlighted.
It just diminishes them in the eyes of everyone. They need to resist the temptation placed before them
I don’t know what all the complaints are about I like my AppleTV and I don’t see any problems with it. It works just as advertised it does everything you did in the demo so I don’t know what you’re looking for. It’s just a streaming device with a fancy remote. If you don’t already have a streaming box are going to use your PlayStation then get it if you have a box there’s no reason to get it. The interface is just fine and again it does everything the demo did so can the OS get better? It can always get better of course it can get better but stop whining
Just got mine delivered. Im less excited to plug it in. But ill give it a shot. I have 15 days……. Or did they change that policy also?
Got it on day 1. It’s going back. What is dies differently don’t out weigh the fact that atv3 worked better. It made more sense. Very disappointed. It’s said to see what’s to be expected in the future is looking bleak.
And there you have it. Spell correct messing everything up. Android is looking better everyday
Auto correct doesn’t prevent you from reading what you actually entered before you press the “Post Comment” button.
You only posted one paragraph. If you couldn’t be bothered to read it and simply sent it the moment you finished typing, don’t waste your time blaming spell correct as it makes you look fairly stupid. At least you haven’t switched from IOS to an Android device yet, so are not completely stupid, but it sounds as though you’re thinking about making that transition.
All the good coders were pulled to work on an early Watch 2.0. It’ll come.
It has been quite apparent that post Jobs Apple does not have the attention to detail it once did. It’s probably better than most companies still but I’m finding the ATV4 a bit of an anticlimax. I expected a lot more.
I really love the new Apple TV. I absolutely won’t be returning the 2 I bought. It should have worked with the remote from day one but it’s not a big enough issue to make me return mine.
I honestly think we’ll see the AppleTV updated at the same pace as the phone. Which is why we’re seeing a 9.1 updated pushed to developers so quickly.
Bla,bla,bla,.. what a bunch of whiners. I’m sure a remote app is coming. And updates will fix any or most of the issues that some of you have.
Yes, the remote not working with ATV isn’t a huge deal, but the lack of quality on the software front is a problem, and it’s not restricted to TVOS either (iTunes, flat UI, etc).
Has anyone else noticed that when Apple TV4 goes to sleep it also shuts off your TV even if you are not using Apple TV at the time. Just another nit.