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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Apple today provided developers with the fourth beta of an upcoming 9.2.1 update to tvOS, the operating system designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV. Today's beta comes one week after the third beta of tvOS 9.2.1 and more than a month after the release of tvOS 9.2. tvOS 9.2.1 has been in testing since April 6.

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tvOS betas are more difficult to install than beta updates for iOS and OS X. Installing the tvOS beta requires the Apple TV to be connected to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, with the software downloaded and installed via iTunes or Apple Configurator. Those who have already installed the first three tvOS 9.2.1 betas will be able to update to the fourth beta over the air.

As a minor 9.x.x update, tvOS 9.2.1 focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements that are not readily apparent to Apple TV users. There have been no outward-facing changes in the first three tvOS 9.2.1 betas, but any new features discovered in the fourth beta will be listed below.

Article Link: Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of tvOS 9.2.1 to Developers
 

Shredliotti

macrumors newbie
Oct 13, 2011
21
48
They also released iOS 9.3.2 Βeta 4! Hopefully this will fix issues with Spotlight Βeta 3 gave me.
 

Muzzakus

macrumors 6502
May 23, 2011
478
716
Atv4 is the buggiest consumer product I've ever owned. Network drops out, videos stutter in apps. I really don't know what's going on at Apple anymore. So many rough edges everywhere on all their products in recent times, baffling.
 

jeff051177

macrumors member
Nov 17, 2011
65
69
Or much else these days. These forums hate.

At the point that your biggest group of fanboys is responding unfavorably to new/updated products, maybe its a sign that things are not going in the right direction.

The whole apple TV program, but especially the 4th iteration is a study in missed opportunity and underachievement. I know apple takes a slow-and-steady approach, but COME ON!

Where is Facetime?
FIX photo's for crying out loud
+ about a hundred other things that the apple TV should be able to do by now, but doesn't

Seriously, does the apple development team comprise of one unpaid intern and a guy that works one morning a month? There are a TON of incremental improvements that you can and should be making....

I want to love the Apple TV, it;s got so much potential..... but TBH, it's a bit of a lemon in it's current form.

Gah! Rant over
 
Last edited:

MorphMan

macrumors member
Feb 20, 2013
72
16
Using that otherwise useless USB port for a facetime camera would be an awesome addition. It already has a microphone, this could all be done with an optional new camera (which would take near zero development) and software changes.

Get on it apple...
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,422
At the point that your biggest group of fanboys is responding unfavorably to new/updated products, maybe its a sign that things are not going in the right direction.

The whole apple TV program, but especially the 4th iteration is a study in missed opportunity and underachievement. I know apple takes a slow-and-steady approach, but COME ON!

Where is Facetime?
FIX photo's for crying out loud
+ about a hundred other things that the apple TV should be able to do by now, but doesn't

Seriously, does the apple development team comprise of one unpaid intern and a guy that works one morning a month? There are a TON of incremental improvements that you can and should be making....

I want to love the Apple TV, it;s got so much potential..... but TBH, it's a bit of a lemon in it's current form.

Gah! Rant over

Or maybe it means that some people have unrealistic expectations. One of the two.
 

jeff051177

macrumors member
Nov 17, 2011
65
69
Or maybe it means that some people have unrealistic expectations. One of the two

I think that expecting 10 years of development to produce something better than the current iteration is completely reasonable/realistic. As is fixing stuff that doesn't work properly.

I agree that this forum is full of people that have unrealistic expectations about apple products - but with the apple TV its different - it's a product that seems to be defined by what it can't do (or what it does badly), rather than what it does do.

There is a truckload of improvements that Apple could make relatively easily, just of the top of my head:

Why can't I view my apple calendars on my Apple TV?
Why don't I get a notification on my Apple TV when someone is trying to call me? (like I do on all my other apple devices)
As mentionned previously, why isn't there a facetime app, which I could use with a 3rd party USB camera/mic?
Why can't I configure time machine to skip an update if I am streaming something on my Apple TV?

Seriously, apple runs my entire computing ecosystem..... those 4 things above are the very definition of the iterative improvements that we should have seen in the last 10 years*.

*Looking forward to being told that I can actually do all that stuff already on my apple tv :)
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,422
I think that expecting 10 years of development to produce something better than the current iteration is completely reasonable/realistic. As is fixing stuff that doesn't work properly.

I agree that this forum is full of people that have unrealistic expectations about apple products - but with the apple TV its different - it's a product that seems to be defined by what it can't do (or what it does badly), rather than what it does do.

There is a truckload of improvements that Apple could make relatively easily, just of the top of my head:

Why can't I view my apple calendars on my Apple TV?
Why don't I get a notification on my Apple TV when someone is trying to call me? (like I do on all my other apple devices)
As mentionned previously, why isn't there a facetime app, which I could use with a 3rd party USB camera/mic?
Why can't I configure time machine to skip an update if I am streaming something on my Apple TV?

Seriously, apple runs my entire computing ecosystem..... those 4 things above are the very definition of the iterative improvements that we should have seen in the last 10 years*.

*Looking forward to being told that I can actually do all that stuff already on my apple tv :)

The software on the TV isn't 10 years old.
 

thefourthpope

macrumors 65816
Sep 8, 2007
1,439
848
DelMarVa
There is a truckload of improvements that Apple could make relatively easily, just of the top of my head:

Why can't I view my apple calendars on my Apple TV?
Why don't I get a notification on my Apple TV when someone is trying to call me? (like I do on all my other apple devices)
As mentionned previously, why isn't there a facetime app, which I could use with a 3rd party USB camera/mic?
Why can't I configure time machine to skip an update if I am streaming something on my Apple TV?
That's an excellent list and would have me pull the trigger to update from my gen2 model immediately (because you just know none of those would be grandfathered to old hardware)
 
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