“While Apple is busy promoting the newest iteration of its Apple TV box, many followers of the company are peering into the future, wondering what the technology giant will do next with television,” Brian Stelter writes for CNNMoney.
“In a recent interview I quizzed Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue about this and read between the lines of his answers,” Stelter writes. “The end goal for Apple, Cue said, is to remove any need for a traditional set top box at all. Maybe the next step is a streaming version of the bundle, with live and on-demand channels, sold by Apple straight to Apple TV and iPhone owners.”
“‘Apple is having conversations with everyone about doing their own streaming services,’ CBS CEO Les Moonves said last month,” Stelter writes. “When I asked directly if Apple wants to get to the point that Moonves has been describing, an Apple-branded TV package, Cue said, ‘We want to get to the point where customers are able to buy whatever they want, however they want. We’re not fixed into ‘There’s only one way to buy it.’ Just like we’ve done with the App Store, where there have been things that have been free; things that you subscribe to; things that you pay for; things that are in-app. All of those capabilities will be here and we want that market to be able to develop.'”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple TV cries out for a compatible Remote app, music control via Siri, an avalanche of apps for its currently paltry App Store, and an Apple TV subscription service, in that order. In fact, the first two items should have been there at launch.
I’ve been a fan boy since 2000. I’ve had at least one of every Apple product in that time from a 2 cell lithium battery charger to a Mac Pro.
As far as I’m concerned the Apple TV4 is s cluster-fsck. The UI sucks out loud. If I had tried it first I would not have bought it. Call me names and insult me as you wish, but this product never should have been released in its current form. I’m very disappointed.
The AppleTV could and should have been better. Vote with your dollar – just return it. If enough people do that, Apple will certainly get the message.
Agree with you and Roger both. Returned mine last Tuesday to the surprise and dismay of the retail store manager who knows my practically by name for how often she sees me. I get told often they need to get a grey shirt on me. For the first time I had to respond that they don’t want a grey shirt on me. I’m not saying the sky is falling. I am saying though that there have been three really big bombs since iOS 8. Remember how MDN blasted the test exec who let that bug get by? Wasn’t 8.0 followed up VERY quickly with 8.1? I don’t keep detailed history so my details may be off. But I do know that I SUFFERED through Yosemite with wifi that worked in spurts and not very good then. It ALWAYS said Looking for network. Discoveryd was it? And now an Apple TV that YES, absolutely can be fixed with software updates but why on earth was it released with so many glaring bugs and issues in the first place? Lastly, Apple has enjoyed a really tight relationship with the disabled because they have seemed to really care. Evidence ABOUNDS online and in life that Apple really let down the disabled community with the Apple TV. Again, sky’s not falling. But the slats in the bridge are crumbling and screaming for some TLC. Whether the sky actually does fall is dependent on how Apple responds to that – like a mom and pop who are OBSESSED with their customers or a worldwide conglomerate who is bothered by their customers.
The employees at giant fruit company are spending too much time in awe of themselves rather than actually making sure things work.
Me too. Despite Apple’s continued pattern of incrementalism (the lack of 4K availability), I bought one, not realizing just how unfinished it was. The sharp pretty interface is slow and sluggish. Entering any data into it is frustrating. Bigger icons in movies makes scanning frustrating sluggish.
Movies do seem sharper and more colorful. And, I think that’s about the only good thing I can say about at this point.
I’m not sure whats wrong with yours but I bought two of them, and they are way faster than the Gen3s that I replaced.
Maybe they have different chips like the iPhone 6S.
Agreed. The two I bought are much faster than my gen 3.
I bought the new Apple TV over the weekend. Absolutely no regrets. For me, Al Jazeera live for world news and Air Video HD make it worth every cent spent. And there’s much more. It can only get better. Folders would have helped though (for the games apps).
I’m not returning mine, that’s for sure!
Apples next move in TV? Make AppleTV4 worthy of the Apple product line. Simple.
Sell a monitor 4K screens in 50inch 55inch 65inch then pair this with a Apple TV. The Apple TV box you can upgrade replace when you want and main monitor can be upgraded every 5-10 years. You have a fully upgradable TV setup
It is getting better, almost every day. I am really looking forward to what is coming!
I have a question though..
Apple sells the ATV4 remote for USD $79.
It includes six buttons, a touch panel with click, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, USB charging, dual microphones and operates via bluetooth.
My Playstation 4 controller has 15 buttons, a touch panel with click, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, USB charging, a speaker, rumble vibrations, headphone/mic jack and operates via bluetooth. Oh, it sells for USD $49.
While I generally like the remote, and hate entering text with it, I am worried about it breaking when I drop it (and I know I will at some point). When I have to replace it, I will really wonder why it is so expensive. WHY, WHY, WHY?
At least my ($20) ATV3 remote is a decent backup.
I agree with what MDN says entirely .
#1 on the list is the Remote app because if you lose you remote you are screwed.
Having said that after listening to what others have said I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to set up using an iPhone running 9.1 . This was in stark contrast to what some reviewers said
The other thing that I find odd is the lack of support for 4K video given that the iPhone now records 4K video
Why do we need an Apple subscription service? Let cable companies provide an app for that on Apple TV.
Makes sense. Even if Apple took a small fee of the subscription service, just like they do with iOS apps. Apple is just providing the avenue for people to access the app. If the TV provider thinks they can do it on their own or through other services then so be it.
My guess is everyone will get on board with Apple for their own good.
Because it’ll cost more. Do you enjoying being gouged by cable providers!?!
Then seek therapy. Quickly….
They will bundle on the Apple TV exactly like they do on their set-top boxes. My whole point of getting on the Apple TV bandwagon years ago was to steam Netflix and wean away from cable bundles that had so many channels that I supported through the bill but never watched. Now if the different content providers such as A&E, AMC, FOX, et. Al wanted to have an app of their own where I could subscribe to their suite or individual channels of my choosing, I’d have no problem. When that’s possible, why have a cable company operating as a middle man? It’s like wanting to sell your house to a friend who wants to buy it and calling a realtor rather than a real estate lawyer to draw up the papers and close the sale.
What Mdn said And FOLDERS!…….. please
And…
Night and auto mode! UI too bright for dark rooms..
Localized siri search for apps on top of universal search..
(What if i want to do a search strictly in hulu or netflix etc. )
Extend unversal search to all apps..
Better utilization of the remote touch interface for music related function..
Localized search will likely never happen as that means no opportunity to put that listing on the iTunes Store in front of you. Nice wish though.
Loss of remote app and no dark mode are what, together, prompted my return.
MDN, you are so RIGHT…
Based on Apple’s current management style, they will allow the Apple TV to linger on for 3+ years and then they will go back to the drawing board, throwing out all the good with the bad.
…just like Apple Server, displays, Airport, and too many software packages to mention.
Apple: please return to software &hardware leadership and use your deep resources to provide consistent quality and steady improvement with clear dedication to user experience. And if this is more than just a hobby now, you might as well get off your increasingly wide derriere and release a fully finished product that can compete head-to-head with the technical specifications and features of your competitors. The Apple TV simply isn’t there, and the user experience is clunky at best.
They missed your call. They were focused on the chip factory in Taiwan, the patent issue about inductive charging, the bankruptcy of the NH company and their furnaces, the shape of the second new Apple facility in Silicon Valley, how to create a battery light enough to run on water and still power the car and what the analysts are saying regarding next quarter’s iPad, Apple Watch, and iPhone results. Please hang up, buy and iPhone 6S Plus and an Apple pencil and try your call again.
Hey! Question.
I realized the number one function of our Apple TVs is the Screensaver, the default entertainment when nothing is going on. What plays most of the time on ATV? Screensaver photos. Mine is linked to thousands of pictures on the MacBook Pro. It has always been a bit frustrating in that it won’t show all the pictures and just sticks with a small subset over and over.
Has this been improved in the new ATV? I ask. Then I immediately wonder, has it been made worse? Or eliminated?
Anyone?
Personally, I like the new AppleTV. It shows a ton of promise. Is it perfect? No, it feels like a V1 product but if Apple keeps updates to the software coming fast it can get there really quickly. I do find the lack of integration with Apple Music (being able to search via Siri) a ridiculous oversight. We can already do this in iOS so why not tvOS? This needs to be fixed ASAP.