I would never, ever, connect a TV to my network. The amount of data hoovering they do is insane, and some have been caught turning on the microphone (why a TV needs one is another creepy question). If I wanted to be a Nielsen family, I'd be one.
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10 New Features and Changes Introduced With 2022 Apple TV
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^This. Updating apps on a Smart TV is a painful process with the manufacturers and it takes longer. Apps on an Apple TV, Nvidia Shield, Fire TV or Roku can be updated much quicker and more frequently. You'll often find missing features on apps on a Smart TV versus a streaming box because of that.
If they sell it at a cost it makes sense for them to drop the charging cable. I mean 129 for the box and remote. And 19 (more than 10%) for a freaking cable.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Yes, as designed, all apps are stored on AppleTV storage. If you want to enjoy a lot of apps on an AppleTV, you need to get enough storage to hold them. Big game (data) can take up a lot of space.
Really reaching on that 10th one a bit, aren't we? 😂
The third-generation Apple TV 4K announced this week is a relatively minor update, but the device still has at least 10 new features and changes. We've recapped everything new with the latest Apple TV below for those looking for a quick overview.
What's new with the latest Apple TV:
The new Apple TV 4K is available to order now and launches Friday, November 4 in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries.
- A15 Bionic chip: The new Apple TV is equipped with the A15 Bionic chip for up to 50% faster performance than the previous model with the A12 Bionic chip. Apple says this results in improved responsiveness and faster navigation. Apple adds that graphics performance is up to 30% faster for smoother gaming.
- 4GB of RAM: The new Apple TV is equipped with 4GB of RAM, compared to 3GB in the previous model, for improved responsiveness.
- 128GB storage option: The new Apple TV is available with up to 128GB of storage, compared to a max of 64GB for the previous model.
- HDR10+ support: In addition to Dolby Vision, the new Apple TV now supports HDR10+ content in supported apps.
- Siri Remote with USB-C port: The new Siri Remote is equipped with a USB-C port instead of Lightning for charging.
- Thinner and lighter design: Apple says the A15 Bionic chip's increased power efficiency allowed for the internal fan to be removed in the new Apple TV, resulting in the device having a more compact design that is around 12% thinner and around 50% lighter than the previous model.
- No more "TV" branding on top: The new Apple TV no longer has "TV" imprinted on the top of the device and instead simply has a centered Apple logo.
- Lower pricing: The new Apple TV starts at $129 with 64GB of storage, while the previous model started at $179 with 32GB of storage. While you need to spend $149 to get an Ethernet port, Thread support, and 128GB of storage, that's still cheaper than any of last year's models.
- No charging cable in the box: The new Apple TV ships without a charging cable in the box for the Siri Remote, except in Brazil. Apple sells a new woven USB-C cable separately for $19.
- Packaging changes: The new Apple TV comes in a slightly more rectangular box that no longer has outer plastic wrap.
Article Link: 10 New Features and Changes Introduced With 2022 Apple TV
The streaming apps themselves can't be remotely near that size. Is gaming on the Apple TV really a thing? I'd have thought that people would just use an Xbox/Playstation/Switch.
I guess I'm an outlier with only a half-dozen streaming apps installed.
How come? AFAIK the only streaming service that supports it is Prime, and even for that, not for much content. Nobody else supports it.
Your "smart TV" comes with
- a limited set of apps
- with a specific UI and
- with a dubious likelihood of being updated
Apple TV offers a much larger range of apps, a cleaner UI, and is likely to still be updated in five years.
I have an LG C1 so about as top of the line Smart TV as you get (until you go to $10's of thousands!) but I find the apps UI to be horrible and the shakey mouse/remote to be terrible to use.
As examples of apps that probably aren't on your smartTV, there are things like library-provided content (Hoopla or Kanopy), or TV-recording apps like Channels DVR. I'm not sure how common the free-content providers (like Tubi, Pluto, even Plex TV) are on smartTV's, but they're all on aTV.
I have no idea about your setup, but for my setup the aTV is always on (no boot-up time), and always what's in control of the screen (no HDMI switching time). If I wanted to watch LiveTV, I would do so by switching to the Channels DVR app and watching live TV there. If (god forbid) I wanted to subscribe to a Cable Service like Spectrum, I would switch to the Spectrum app and watch Spectrum content there – no bulky hot Spectrum box, no need to switch to whatever HDMI port that Spectrum box is feeding.
Ultimately it's like asking "why own an iPhone instead of Android?" Sure, Android is cheaper, but iPhone overall feels nicer, smoother, more consistent, faster. If those matter to you, you do whatever you can on the iPhone.
Same with TVs. Even dumb things like the aTV remote feel so much better than what the TV provides, even a high end TV like an LG OLED.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
AppleTV is much more than streaming apps.
Open the App Store and look around. There's a lot of apps in there that are not streaming television.
About 6+ years ago, Apple updated the app limit to 4GB per app, mostly to give the game apps more room for their media. How many- say- 3GB games can fit in about 58GB of free space after basic apps and tvOS fundamentals? Is that enough games for everyone?
AppleTV is no PS5 or Xbox, but it does offer LOTS of games... and lots of other apps too. Personally, I never "filled up" 64GB but just got the 128GB anyway, more so for the ethernet port.
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Exactly the first three things are irrelevant unless you play games. Even our first gen 4K in the bedroom is snappy enough. And I don't know if we use any storage
Agree. HDR10+ only really exists for cheap TVs that don't implement Dolby Vision.
Has one of the minis declared itself to be the Alpha. We have LR and BR. I can be in the bedroom talking normal to that Mini, but somehow the Living Room hears it and respondsYeah, as I've stated above, I own both and use both. Though side-by-side, I find myself using the Firestick more often than the Apple TV.
But part of my point is that I'm a special use case. I have a boutique hotel and need to buy a ton of Firesticks. The Apple price point just makes it prohibitive. So, Firestick.
The only thing the Apple TV app on the Firestick doesn't give me is the ability to stream my Apple Music. But, then again, I have 10 HomePod minis in my house which handle my music streaming needs
I have a 32GB 1st gen Apple TV 4K and it is completely full. I have no idea what with. I don't have many apps and the ones I have aren't large. The interface does not show me what's eating the storage, just that I have about 1GB spare. I have to assume this slows it down. It is constantly removing apps of its own accord to free up space. Maybe it is keeping a crazy amount of my photo library locally? As I have been unable to find out what is causing it, I ordered the 128GB model. If it does the same with that I might throw it out the window.
it's too funny i see you complaining all over the place these days,because few days ago u use to be an apple apologist (i mean you do enjoy apple products a lot )
i'm not mocking you or judging,just saying .no offence or anything aight ?
You aren’t “paying more for ethernet”, you are paying LESS for double the storage and the improved device over the pervious generations high end offering. AND even less for a version without ethernet for people who don’t need it.
ATV was cool...5 years ago. Nowadays all modern TVs' built-in app stores are just as capable as ATV and can be controlled with 1 single remote. Even if you have older TVs, just get a $30 Roku or Fire stick and you will get 90-95% of same functionality. This thing is way way overpriced. Would only recommend getting ATV if you care about Apple Arcade (really, who does?)
I absolutely hate my Samsung Smart TV guide/hub, so I guess I'll finally upgrade to get 4K.
I have tried a few TV OSes... Samsung, LG, Roku, Android TV, and Apple TV is the best by far, in my humble opinion.
What ever happened to rumors a few years ago saying that Apple was interested in developing an actual TV set? That's something I would like to see happen.
Roku…. Apple TV is better and easier. Much more cleaner as well. How are those annoying ads going for you on the Roku?
I'm on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and performance is fine. Replying via its browser. Works great for Retroarch gaming too. You probably cheaped out on the non-4K TV Stick which should be avoided.
eh. I bought it. I use it a lot and will just sell my old one. looking forward to it being faster.
no more Apple products for me this year.
no more Apple products for me this year.
Just one ad on the Roku home screen. No Prob. Apple TV doesn't have the Roku Channel. Fire TV does. If you're cheap like me, free TV with ads totally rocks. The Apple TV Xfinity app is awful.
The ad doesn't show unless you scroll right to see it.
Everyone has their own ecosystem. Amazon is awful to me by comparison.
Apple TV shows their stuff on the home screen too. Just like advertising.
I only have and HD 1080 TV. At least 5 years old and has none of the new features.
I could use a Mac mini, even an old Intel version for all things streaming.
As long as the browsers can stay current, it's all good.
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Smart TV has a more limited # of channel apps and zero privacy protection
Smart TV may or may not have Airplay 2 but if it does it also may or may not work that great
Smart TV definitely doesn't act as a Homekit or Thread hub
Smart TV doesn't allow (plug and play) Home Sharing with content on your Mac. Sure, there are ways to configure similar, but that's more work and time.
My Apple TV is my sole way of watching TV - DirecTV Stream, HBO Max, Hulu, etc. That is the HDMI port my TV is always on. No need to switch. My Apple TV is also set up with the CEC turn on so when I press the "on" button on my remote it turns on the TV and the ATV. There is no need to have to turn on both devices separately or use separate remotes.