“Three years in the making, Apple’s fourth generation of Apple TV has finally shipped,” John Archer writes for Forbes. “It’s arrived with notably more fanfare than previous Apple TVs too, amid claims that this pint-sized set top box will revolutionise the TV space with its new app-driven approach, much more comprehensive integration into the Apple universe, and brand new TV-focussed operating system.”
10 Reasons You Should Buy An Apple TV:
1. tvOS is actually pretty neat
2. It’s truly fun for all the family
3. It’s a better gaming machine than you probably think it is
4. The remote is a brilliant smart TV interface
5. Siri actually makes talking to your TV fun
6. It does some innovative things with its memory
7. App vetting seems to be working
8. Developer interest seems strong
9. The new Apple TV is finally an Apple product
10. Plenty of potential
Tons more in the full review here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple TV is a diamond in the rough, but it’s certainly well worth the price.
SEE ALSO:
Houston Chronicle’s Silverman reviews new Apple TV: This cake needed more baking – November 9, 2015
Apple TV 4 is a beta product and, if you bought one, you’re an unpaid beta tester – November 5, 2015
The single worst feature of the new Apple TV – November 4, 2015
The new Apple TV has more rough edges than a sack of saw blades – November 3, 2015
Apple releases tvOS 9.1 beta 1 – November 3, 2015
5 days with the new Apple TV – November 3, 2015
Apple TV flaws that Apple should fix fast – 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
Open letter to Tim Cook: Apple needs to do better – January 5, 2015
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
The reviews on this are a bit like those on Spector. I guess the only way to find out the full truth is to use one personally and determine if the good or less good aspects dominate your view or not. Unlike Spector at least the rough edges on this one can be ironed out mind, to reveal the full potential, assuming Apple can be bothered getting around to it any time soon.
What’s Spector?
Who knows. New bond film? :p
Anybody else see the irony of MDN placing links to Ad Blockers in their posts and then turning around and placing pop-ups in their mobile version saying how pop-ups are hurting their website.
This would be like me sending my clients a list of cheaper web developers and then when they actually use those services, I’m like WTF? Where’s the loyalty?
I havent seen MDN without an ad blocker in years.
This is a game changer. It appears clunky at first because it is so responsive which leads you to believe that it is not doing the same thing twice. Once you figure out the subtleties of this device, it is a pleasure. I have not even tried Siri yet.
1. Overpriced by 4 times a decent Roku box
2. No 4-K support when conpetitors have it for far less
3. No Amazon
4. No Adult content
5. Locked down system
6. Expensive apps
7. Forced to be an Apple beta tester
8. Apple software has lost QA
9. Hokey remote that shatters on impact
10. Dropped optical support (greedy Apple under Tim Cook)
Your rant looks like an apple hater with no actual use in this posts, and i can only agree somewhat on some most others are way off.
1- Was your ROKU at 159/4=40 USD, is it as good (in the things that are workmen great now), i don’t believe so.
ROKU is not in the same league to play games.
2. content is King, and right now only my iPhone has 4K, but not as important to many. but the only point i support
3.Amazon thing is over rated and not only Apple’s fault. (they need to do their support)
4.Not a killing feature, but from your rant i believe it is so damm important you probably have many sources of it now, why the need here.
5.Not locked, it is a great walled system and one that millions enjoy. The gardens and designs inside are just as good as they can get.
6. There are many free items, and many need a comparison. Some content is less expensive than pay tv, many games are cheaper than consoles, and good things need to cost to be worth it. I not want to have an ad driven environment.
7.All works as advertised, I was expending more, and some things are rough. but beta tester, are you kidding, you must come form the eternal beta tester world of google.
8. More than bad QA, I believe many items are not on par with what we expect form apple, and a market they have been playing with for a while.
9. My house is full of glass items, even some Murano glass on side tables, with small children and dogs. I rather use this remote than Sonys 40 Key ones, or under useful LG magic remote. But still miss iOS remote
10. This cab be missed, since I myself used it before, but many of the new entertainment systems connect with HDMI all over and are actually 2 way connections. This is not a killer feature.
1.) I own a Roku and a 5 year old Apple TV. The Apple TV is hands down a superior product, even at 5 years old.
2.) 4K support is what HD support was 20 years ago.
3.) Amazon? AirPlay much?
4.) AirPlay.
5.) The Roku is open?
6.) Not sure about this part.
7.) Not sure how you are forced to buy it in the first place.
8.) The only valid point in the entire list, hardly a reason to not buy something though.
9.) Don’t have personal experience with this, but any remote being dropped generally breaks (Comcast remotes barely work brand new. My Roku remote is god awful).
10.) You mean they dropped 30 year old technology? Didn’t you just complain about it not supporting the 4K, an expensive technology in its infancy?
Forbes also published a story titled “10 Reasons Why You Should NOT buy Apple TV”. Why didnt MDN link to that article?
They had a better reason than you…
So far I like it. The new features are interesting and show how this will get even better over time.
One of the best features is switching inputs automatically. For example I was watching cable TV and then wanted to watch Apple TV. One button switches the input and turns on the Apple TV. If the TV is off, it will also switch on the TV and set to the correct input.
In the past I would have had to find the TV remote to change channels and the Apple TV remote to switch on the unit. Not a huge deal but nice just to have to use one button to get the TV to where you want it to be.
Search will obviously get better. Currently mostly showing stuff on iTunes. Still a very efficient way to find content.
So what this is is a platform with huge potential. Apple and developers will make it even better. Sad thing is that Amazon, Google and others will quickly copy it as usual.
Reason 1 – cos the iPad Pro isn’t gonna be available
Reason 2 – cos the Apple Pen isn’t gonna be available
Reason 3 – cos you already have iPhone6 and don’t need 6s
Reason 4 – cos iPod Touch is great but your 4K tv is bigger
Reason 5 – cos there isn’t much to pick from Apple this year
Reason 6 – cos iWatch is lame and pointless
Reason 7 – hmmm don’t have one
Most of these are not reasons to buy:
1. tvOS is actually pretty neat
2. It’s truly fun for all the family
These are the same reason, aren’t they? Slinky is pretty neat and fun for all the family. These don’t call out a reason to drop $150 on it.
3. It’s a better gaming machine than you probably think it is
So it exceeds (presumably low) expectations about the gaming performance of a video streaming device? It’s not a better “gaming machine” than your actual game system, and if you like to play games you probably have one of those already.
4. The remote is a brilliant smart TV interface
But the GUI (esp. on-screen keyboard) is allegedly infuriating. What’s the point of being able to easily frustrate yourself?
5. Siri actually makes talking to your TV fun
Group with #1/#2, Gary Busey.
6. It does some innovative things with its memory
This boils down to: storage is insufficient for the uses it’s being marketed for, and many apps will NOT be useable without a working internet connection.
7. App vetting seems to be working
8. Developer interest seems strong
The number of apps is very, very small, so vetting them should be quite easy at this stage. Later, if/when it reaches the numbers that the iOS app store is at, it’s not unreasonable to think it will be as effective as that system. Read: not stellar. Additionally, “developer interest seems high” is backed up with nothing except that the devs who were given advance access to the box in partnership and supported by Apple directly have published good-looking apps. The word on the street is that the devs are VERY turned off with the store model, including search & featuring.
9. The new Apple TV is finally an Apple product
This isn’t a positive. Reviews say it is like other recent Apple products — unfinished at release and missing features that are sincerely missed.
10. Plenty of potential
That’s a reason not to swear off ever buying it. Not a reason to spend your money on it now.
The good thing about the “diamond in the rough” is that the rough part is software updatable (including 4k) if you buy it now. If you wait, well, you’ll just be without it till you do buy it without any benefit when you do eventually get it.