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New Apple TV Tidbits: Limited App Discovery, User Guide, Amazon Pulls Apple TVs, and More

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The new Apple TV officially launched today at Apple Stores and select resellers in the U.S. and other first wave countries. As customers begin receiving their new Apple TV deliveries around the world, the following are useful tidbits about the new fourth-generation device.

Apple TV Support and User Guide - Forum Discussion

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Apple has updated its Apple TV Support portal for the new Apple TV, including an official Apple TV User Guide that contains detailed information about how to set up and use the streaming box. The user guide is broken down into several categories: Getting Started, Basics, Siri, iTunes, App Store, Photos, Music, Home Sharing, Search, Accessibility, Safety and more.

Apple TV apps - Forum Discussion


iMore has shared a video that scrolls through all of the new Apple TV apps currently available through the tvOS App Store. Due to the current lack of discoverability, the video searches tvOS apps based on their first letter in alphabetical order.

Eli Hodapp at our sister website TouchArcade explains in his Apple TV first impressions:
If screenshots on Apple pages are any indication, categories for the Apple TV App Store are coming (maybe?) but as of this writing, there's a distinct division between the haves and the have-nots in the Apple TV app world. Currently, the Apple TV App Store only shows what's featured. If your game isn't featured, it effectively doesn't exist. There's no way to browse genres, top lists don't exist (this arguably might be a good thing), and finding something that isn't featured requires typing its name in the search field.
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MacRumors recently published an Apple TV apps roundup that goes into more detail about some of the new apps and games, including Airbnb, Alto's Adventure, Crossy Road, Plex, Sing! Karaoke, Withings Home and more.

Charging and Using the Siri Remote - Forum Discussion

Apple has published a support document with step-by-step instructions on how to charge your Siri Remote and get help if it isn't working. Apple TV will alert you when your Siri Remote needs to be charged, or you can manually check the remote's charge by navigating to Settings > Remotes and Devices > Bluetooth and selecting the remote.

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In countries and regions that support Siri, the remote is called the Siri Remote. Elsewhere, it is called the Apple TV Remote, but has identical functionality otherwise. International users can easily access Siri by changing their Apple TV's region to the U.S. or other supported countries.

Amazon Removes Apple TV

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Apple TV and Chromecast devices are no longer listed on Amazon​

Following through with its plans, online retailer Amazon has removed all Apple TV and Chromecast listings from its website, per Variety. Amazon removed the Apple and Google streaming media players because they are incompatible with its Prime Video streaming service, which it believes may cause confusion for customers.

In a statement provided to BuzzFeed News, Apple emphasized that the lack of Prime Video support on the new Apple TV is solely Amazon's decision.
Incidentally, that Amazon Prime Video is the exception to the conga line of content offerings above is entirely Amazon's doing. A ~magnanimous~ Apple tells BuzzFeed News that "all are welcome" on its new Apple TV platform. But Amazon -- which recently purged Apple TV from its store -- doesn't have a Prime Video app in the Apple TV App Store. And as of a few days ago, it hadn't submitted one.
Click to expand...
Amazon told BuzzFeed News the company "doesn't have anything to share" on the topic.

Visit the Apple TV section on the MacRumors discussion forums for more tidbits.

Article Link: New Apple TV Tidbits: Limited App Discovery, User Guide, Amazon Pulls Apple TVs, and More
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/10/30/new-apple-tv-tidbits-app-discovery-amazon/
Really digging the new ATV. I had given my two ATV's away to family and a friend, so it's been awhile since I have used one. This one is so much more better.
I love how you can run Safari on your iPhone or iPad and everything (videos, etc..) mirrors beautifully on the TV.
Oh, and Siri is really good so far.
And cannot forget the volume control is also a great add.
Amazon prime videos mirror just fine to the TV as well.
 
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Crying at the number of flappy bird clones already.
k21975 said:
The first thing I noticed is the scroll is 'un-natural'. Apple went through the fight of changing scrolling on the OS X to match iOS only to put it back on the TVos?
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I think that it's because it's a focus based UI, rather than direct manipulation. You're not really "touching" the content (through a screen or trackpad) since it's so far away.
 
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mark-vdw said:
Any news on an update to the Remote app for iPhone? If we misplace the Siri remote, will the iPhone be able to do all that is needed?
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I hope they update the remote app. I don't see any reason why they can't include Siri in there as well. "Siri, play Family Guy on the Family Room AppleTV."

If you loose the remote and don't care about gaming, then you can just learn in any remote that you have sitting around. In my Kitchen, I have the Samsung TV remote controlling the AppleTV because the arrows don't do anything for the TV when the TV Menu is not up on screen. Then I programmed the Return button for AppleTV Menu.
 
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Can someone tell me if this new "tv" gadget is for someone who already has a smart tv with the essential apps such as netflix, hulu, youtube etc.. As well as a video game console. What can you do with it other than download games from the app store?
 
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My prime subscription is set to renew on November 18th. I will be cancelling it before it renews. $100/yr isn't worth it unless Amazon is willing to make a dedicated app for the ATV.

The shipping benefit isn't as much of a good deal as it used to be. It's not like I ever order under $35 worth of stuff on Amazon anyway, so shipping will still be free, just a tad slower. Lately the free 2-day shipping has actually been more like 3 days or longer anyway.
 
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k21975 said:
The first thing I noticed is the scroll is 'un-natural'. Apple went through the fight of changing scrolling on the OS X to match iOS only to put it back on the TVos?
Click to expand...

The Apple TV's controls are more like a joystick or arrow keys, because if you hold you first still in a spot that's offcenter, it keeps scrolling, right (I don't have one so I wouldn't know). I think that's why it seems unnatural to you - you're thinking of it as being like a two finger drag on a Mac trackpad, but it's actually more like using the arrow keys on a Mac keyboard (or any other keyboard, for that matter).
 
RiddlaBronc said:
Can someone tell me if this new "tv" gadget is for someone who already has a smart tv with the essential apps such as netflix, hulu, youtube etc.. As well as a video game console. What can you do with it other than download games from the app store?
Click to expand...

1. Airplay
2. Apple photo streams / photo library
3. Apple Music
4. Home sharing with iTunes
5. Superior Netflix performance.
 
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