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Hands-On With the New Apple TV: A Look at the tvOS App Store

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One of the key features of the new Apple TV is the full App Store, which mirrors the iOS App Store and allows third-party developers to create a range of apps and games for the device. We went hands-on with the new Apple TV and took a look at the App Store to give MacRumors readers a better idea of how it works.

Anyone who has downloaded an iOS app on an iPhone or an iPad will be familiar with the way the tvOS App Store works. When first logging in, the Apple TV interface is rather empty, because standard apps, like Netflix, must be downloaded from the tvOS App Store. There are a wide range of games and apps already available, and we've catalogued a number of them in a list.

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Games in the tvOS App Store are controlled with the included touch-based Siri remote, which can be used as a touch screen or as a controller similar to the Wii Remote. The Apple TV also supports third-party Made for iPhone certified Bluetooth gaming controllers.

The tvOS App Store has faced some criticism because it's difficult to discover new content. The App Store only displays a limited selection of featured apps and beyond that, the only way to locate content is through search. Unlike the iOS App Store, there's no top list and there's no way to browse through different genres to find apps. That may change in the future as tvOS evolves, but for now, it can be difficult to find all the available apps to install.

Apple is selling the new Apple TV in retail stores and from the online Apple Store. It's priced at $149 for 32GB of storage and $199 for 64GB of storage.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New Apple TV: A Look at the tvOS App Store
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/10/30/new-apple-tv-app-store-hands-on/
So now there are 3D compatible games on the new appleTV, and the interface happens to use elements and effects that move in the third dimension.
It would be really nice if Apple took this further and provided a 3D output of that interface with almost touchable tiles and prominent movements.
 
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The UI reminds me a lot of Google's Material Design with the cards, thick shadows and playful animations.
 
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Is it vastly different than the older aTV GUI? No
But using it, for me, is a welcome change. I am one that enjoys just seeing things advance no matter how large or small.
I like it.

Now ... if I can just get the Plex app soon that will make it even more enjoyable.
 
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I wish I could exclude iTunes results when searching movies/tv shows with Siri on new Apple TV...99.9% of the time I just want to find what I can stream from services that I'm already subscribed to and don't need to pay extra. I understand Apple wants to push their services but what they have to offer I'm just not interested in and it's ruining my experience. It is not the cheapest device on the market, I don't believe it's crazy what I wish for.
 
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Discoverability is basically zero at the moment. One laborious way to see everything in the store (and there's not much) is to start a search, then just leave it at 'a', or 'b', etc. It will then show you all apps starting with that letter.

Quality is very low on the whole and I'm seeing a worrying number of Roku style hardcore religious insanity apps on there. Hopefully the ATV app store won't end up like the cess pit that is the Roku channel store.

Of course the list of missing apps is crazy big at the moment, at least in the UK. No BBC iPlayer, no Amazon Prime, no MUBI, no Now TV, no All4, and many more. It's bare bones in the extreme.
 
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I wish there was a way to categorize apps so instead of scrolling through a long list of apps you could pick a category to narrow down your search. I don't want to have to use Siri for everything. HBO seems to be the only one that spent time on their app giving you nice, full screen graphics. Everyone else is basically rows of video thumbnails on a black background. Incredibly uninspired.
 
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Oh god. Already people crying "fail!!" because there's no top sales list for an App Store on a device that came out less than 12 hours ago. That's a new level of pathetic.

Have none of you ever used an apple product? Obviously they will make adjustments in the coming days. Hit up Cosby for some wine if that's what it takes, but chill out instead of carrying on like children having a tantrum because the candles on your cake were the wrong color.
 
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Kaibelf said:
Oh god. Already people crying "fail!!" because there's no top sales list for an App Store on a device that came out less than 12 hours ago. That's a new level of pathetic.

Have none of you ever used an apple product? Obviously they will make adjustments in the coming days. Hit up Cosby for some wine if that's what it takes, but chill out instead of carrying on like children having a tantrum because the candles on your cake were the wrong color.
Click to expand...

The issue isn't "no top lists", its "no categories."
 
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ksuyen said:
I would rather to let you sleep forever. This is the best thing I have ever bought! Love my ATV Apple did such a good job, I can't wait to see more Apps.
Click to expand...

Have you downloaded Destin's Destiny for it yet?
 
Kaibelf said:
Oh god. Already people crying "fail!!" because there's no top sales list for an App Store on a device that came out less than 12 hours ago. That's a new level of pathetic.

Have none of you ever used an apple product? Obviously they will make adjustments in the coming days. Hit up Cosby for some wine if that's what it takes, but chill out instead of carrying on like children having a tantrum because the candles on your cake were the wrong color.
Click to expand...

Exactly, I played with it today and love so much about it! Of course there are things missing and things that could be improved and that will come! This is a start of something amazing, give it time to bake! Apple Music has improved leaps and bounds already (especially in iOS 9.2) and this will be the same and hopefully next year we will get the subscription service ala Apple music and TV will finally be revolutionized!!
 
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Jeremy1026 said:
The issue isn't "no top lists", its "no categories."
Click to expand...

Says right in the article: "The App Store only displays a limited selection of featured apps and beyond that, the only way to locate content is through search. Unlike the iOS App Store, there's no top list and there's no way to browse through different genres to find apps."

Obviously these will be fixed via a simple change on Apple's side when there are actually enough apps to WARRANT categories. How many apps do you think there actually are already (again, the device has been out for 12 HOURS) that need a robust catalog system?
 
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Kaibelf said:
Says right in the article: "The App Store only displays a limited selection of featured apps and beyond that, the only way to locate content is through search. Unlike the iOS App Store, there's no top list and there's no way to browse through different genres to find apps."

Obviously these will be fixed via a simple change on Apple's side when there are actually enough apps to WARRANT categories. How many apps do you think there actually are already (again, the device has been out for 12 HOURS) that need a robust catalog system?
Click to expand...

Here's the thing. I, as well as many other developers, busted my ass to get my app ready in time for launch. Worked late nights, missed some family time, etc. to get the app done for launch. It's in the store, but guess what, no one knows its there, because there is no way to see it unless you know it exists. I don't have money to launch a marketing campaign for it, I have to rely on the tools that Apple provides to get it off the ground. Taking away categories is doing nothing more than ****ing over the vast majority of the developers that are providing software for their hardware. Unless you are in that ~5% to be featured, you have literally no exposure. You are relying on people seeing your app online somewhere, remembering it, dealing with the clunky "keyboard" to search it out by name, and then download it. You can't link directly to it for purchase, you can't even see it in the iTunes Store on desktop.

The device may have been out for 12 hours, but they sent out dev kits ~6 weeks ago, there are somewhere around 500 apps right now. It may not be enough to fill every possible category, but it certainly is enough that there needs to be a way to see them all without knowing the name of them.

Right now, no, there isn't a need for top lists, especially considering how in flux they'd be, but categories are a must.
 
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Enjoying my new AppleTV immensely -- a 3rd party Plex app, Simplex, appeared sometime this evening. Heaven now.

Lots of whiners here -- just return your AppleTV if you hate it -- get the new Roku or FireTV, which now seem like abacuses ;-)
 
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Jeremy1026 said:
Here's the thing. I, as well as many other developers, busted my ass to get my app ready in time for launch. Worked late nights, missed some family time, etc. to get the app done for launch. It's in the store, but guess what, no one knows its there, because there is no way to see it unless you know it exists. I don't have money to launch a marketing campaign for it, I have to rely on the tools that Apple provides to get it off the ground. Taking away categories is doing nothing more than ****ing over the vast majority of the developers that are providing software for their hardware. Unless you are in that ~5% to be featured, you have literally no exposure. You are relying on people seeing your app online somewhere, remembering it, dealing with the clunky "keyboard" to search it out by name, and then download it. You can't link directly to it for purchase, you can't even see it in the iTunes Store on desktop.

The device may have been out for 12 hours, but they sent out dev kits ~6 weeks ago, there are somewhere around 500 apps right now. It may not be enough to fill every possible category, but it certainly is enough that there needs to be a way to see them all without knowing the name of them.

Right now, no, there isn't a need for top lists, especially considering how in flux they'd be, but categories are a must.
Click to expand...
Which app is yours? If it's good I'll buy it. On a side note, calm down. They didn't "take categories away". They never existed as its 12 hours old. Give it a few days.
 
Yup. Apple is telling developers to piss off. Anyone who's had to deal with the app review team knows they're trying to frustrate small developers so they'll just go away. I'm about ready to submit a tvOS version of our iOS game, but I'm glad I didn't rush. The dev kit was a buggy POS. Glad to hear reviews of Apple's "featured" titles being ripped due to poor siri remote support, which is mandatory. Our game has simple gameplay that works just fine with the siri remote.
 
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I've had every iteration of the AppleTV, including this one (whenever they deliver it, anyway). I'm with everyone else calling for top lists and categories in the app store. Yes, it only launched today, but these are fundamental functions of an app store. To release it without, even if there aren't enough apps to populate every category, rings of pushing something out that wasn't ready for launch. It's not a matter of displaying a ton of empty categories - leave them invisible until a developer submits an app with that category's tag.
 
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Apple's always been about closed, and do only what they choose, and tvOS is no exception...

I guess the top row must still remain...

In the video i saw Netflix, but i guess that was "downloaded" not as default apps. but since Apple's got an API for third party developers hopefully that will change.

I'm open to that, but i wish developers knew this was coming so they could put it out before the release, so it was a default. not a required download just because the app store on tvOS is new.

Go Asphalt 8: Airborne :D

(FYI. I think this is why Apple allowed MFI capable controllers because they didn't wanna be embarrassed by someone in their living room holding a remote with two hands)

At least Nintendo Wii's one looks a bit better "numchucks thing" in one hand and "bigger" remote in the other, with strap.

Will we start seeing cases of people throwing their Apple TV 4 remote through the TV screen soon when bowling ?:)
 
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