“I’m enjoying the Apple TV, but there are a few problems Apple needs to address,” Jonny Evans writes for Computerworld.
“Developers have been working for months to create apps in time for the release of the Apple set-top box, but their hard work is being undermined by poor app discoverability. The only way you’ll find an app is if it is listed on the front pages of the App Store section,” Evans writes. “f it isn’t there then you must search for apps by name. Apple is offering sales charts for US Apple TV users, but they aren’t available everywhere. There are no genre-based listings.”
“Developers are unhappy about this. Long-term Apple developer, Pangea Software’s Brian Greenstone wrote: ‘I just worked my ass off for the last two months getting five games ready for launch day,’ he said on Apple’s Developer forums. ‘And now I see that there’s absolutely no way to discover the apps unless a user explicitly searches for it. This is such a slap in the face to all of the developers who have been working so hard,'” Evans writes. “Greenstone’s not one of those self-publicizing developers out to make a buck by slamming Apple or sharing the company’s secrets. I think Apple owes him rapid improvement to app discovery – even a Web-based interface you could explore while watching TV would help.”
Six more more Apple TV flaws that Apple should fix fast here.
MacDailyNews Take: In some spots, it’s almost as if nobody at Apple actually tried to really use the new Apple TV. It’s really inexplicable – unless the product was rushed out the door by higher ups, before it was truly ready for prime time. Very un-Apple-esque. Perhaps Apple needed to get this on the market for Christmas, no matter what, in order to generate some leverage to get content providers onboard for their over-the-top skinny bundle(s)? Hopefully they can issue tvOS updates very rapidly.
SEE ALSO:
I moved the new Apple TV to Input 1 in just four days – November 3, 2015
TouchArcade reviews new Apple TV: A discoverability nightmare, zany controls, and loads of potential – November 2, 2015
Terry White reviews Apple TV: Feels like an ‘unfinished’ product – November 2, 2015
ZDNet reviews Apple TV: A diamond in the rough – very rough – November 2, 2015
New York Times: All-new Apple TV invigorates the set-top box – October 29, 2015
Paczkowski: Yes, the Apple TV you’ve always wanted is finally here – October 29, 2015
Apple TV’s Siri search soon to include Apple Music – October 29, 2015
Apple TV review: Channels are dead. The future of TV is apps – October 29, 2015
Mossberg reviews the new Apple TV: ‘This is the one I’d buy’ – October 28, 2015