IMO, the ATV3 apps are a lot better than their ATV4 counterparts, so if your ATV3 is working fine for you, I would recommend sticking with that.
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Apple Testing 4K Capable Fifth-Generation Apple TV For Possible Release This Year
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IMO, the ATV3 apps are a lot better than their ATV4 counterparts, so if your ATV3 is working fine for you, I would recommend sticking with that.
There is plenty. Most of the new Netflix/Amazon originals are in 4k, Youtube has a ton of 4k content, VUDU serves up 4k movies. Really, it's just broadcast TV channels that are holding back. I was pessimistic when I got a 4k set, but after realizing how much 4k content there was, I bought the Nvidia Shield to enjoy it, and my AppleTV 4 collects dust.
This, and it is yet another opportunity for Apple to upgrade or resell movies at 4k in iTunes store.
No, false. There's a LOT of 4K Content available and growing by leaps and bounds every month. You can get a LOT of 4k content on YouTube, Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, UltraFix 4k, UHD Movies, so stop with the tired "there's no 4K content." By the end of the year there's going to be a LOT more. Apple jumping on the bandwagon can only help push more 4K Apps. Hopefully the premium channels will start jumping on the 4K bandwagon because of moves like this.
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But there's not enough content.
-defenders
There really isn't still, and last year there REALLY wasn't. Not everyone limits their viewing only to the most recent episodes of Westworld, you know, and let's not kid ourselves and pretend like that device didn't take at least a year or more to develop.
Do you mean "resell" movies to people that already bought 1080p or 720p in iTunes?
If I remember correctly, the last time iTunes switched to 1080p, all my existing purchased content had the option to upgrade to 1080p for free.
Apple is currently testing a new, fifth-generation Apple TV capable of streaming Ultra HD 4K video, according to a report released on Thursday.
The new Apple TV is internally codenamed "J105" and is able to output content in more vivid colors, according to Bloomberg. The fifth-gen device may release as soon as this year, with Apple's recent hiring of former Amazon Fire TV unit chief Timothy D. Twerdhal said to indicate a renewed focus on the set-top box.
Details on Apple's intentions for its set-top box have been scant in recent months, with the last rumor that it was readying a new model appearing as far back as December 2015. Today's new disclosure appears as part of an investigation into Apple's apparent inability to keep pace with rivals like Amazon and Roku in the TV streaming market. According to Bloomberg's sources, Apple engineers have been forced to compromise "time and again" on Steve Jobs' original vision of revolutionizing the living room.
Originally, the Apple TV was meant to replace the ungainly set-top boxes supplied by cable companies and allow owners to stream live television, but Apple's failure to secure deals with the major cable channels left Cupertino unable to push ahead with its TV plans. According to the report, that left the Apple TV team debating other options, such as including a game controller with the fourth-gen model to better compete with Microsoft's Xbox and the Sony PlayStation, but that ultimately fell through because of cost concerns.
Apple also reportedly passed on including a more expensive 4K-capable chip in the fourth-gen Apple TV because it would be forced to accept lower margins. This left the set-top box more akin to a "giant iPhone", consisting of a cluster of apps and an App Store.
Apple has never revealed how many Apple TVs it has sold, although Apple CFO Luca Maestri recently admitted that sales had decreased year-over-year during the 2016 holiday period, while market research suggests the fourth-generation Apple TV has been losing market share to cheaper Amazon and Roku boxes since its launch in the fall of 2015.
Steve Jobs' ambitions in the TV space has become almost legendary since his passing, but little has been achieved by Apple to realize his vision, which originally included an Apple-branded television set. Jobs previewed the first Apple TV in 2006, when the device was only able to stream iTunes video from a Mac to a TV. When he stepped down from his position as Apple CEO on August 24, 2011 due to illness, he intended to work on an Apple television that would re-invent living room entertainment.
After Jobs' death, Apple tried to gain a stronger foothold in this regard, but the company failed to secure the cable channel deals that would allow it to create the full integrated television programming experience and TV set that Jobs envisioned, and since that time it has relied on the fourth-generation Apple TV, with App Store and Siri integration, as a makeweight solution.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly asserted in the past that "the future of TV is apps", but such a vision is difficult to realize in the context of a fully unified user experience. Apple TV users still have to buy individual TV episodes via the iTunes Store, pay extra for services such as Hulu, and download apps linked to specific channels, after which they must log in with their existing cable subscriptions.
According to the Bloomberg report, by all accounts, Apple's efforts to position the Apple TV as a streaming and distribution platform for other content providers have failed. Whether or not a 4K-capable device can bring about a resurgence in its ambitions for the living room remains to be seen.
You can read the full Bloomberg report here.
Article Link: Apple Testing 4K Capable Fifth-Generation Apple TV For Possible Release This Year
The post you replied to is still true. Sure, people buying a TV in the last year are more likely to go 4K, but most people haven't bought a new TV in the last year. The average TV is probably what, 5 to 10 years old? Those people are still happily using 1080P because that's all their eyes can resolve from the couch anyway. I don't think I know anyone with a 4K TV yet, or least, not anyone who uses it fully. Combined with the lack of content, that makes 4k a high-end early adopter toy to me.
Apple has no excuse to not introduce a 4K-capable Apple TV now, but I don't think anyone is arguing that they shouldn't do it.
Totally agree, though I really would like the option of buying and renting 4K movies. I have a 4K TV and i would like the option nowadays especially as the provision of 4K content seems quite easily achieved from Netflix and Amazon.
My biggest bug bear with the new AppleTV is the huge disparity in functionality between USA and the ret of the world. In the UK, theres almost nothing of interest outside of Apple's own content. Universal search would be nice but it still only works across Netflix and Apple
You people are so defensive about apple being too late to support 4k. So many excuses made!
Going 4K this year, meaning TV, receiver, and UHD player. Minimum requirements are HDR10 and Dolby Vision or Dolby Vision updatable. Betting that that there won't be Dolby Vision as it requires a license and Apple has shied away from those (i.e. DTS, TrueHD audio formats).
And fix the slideshows - while they often work for me now, they hadn't in the past and I see many people who still have problems.
I call BS on this if for no other reason than the explanation of margins is is too easy and to obvious. Also when has Apple not done something because of margins? They just do it and charge more. Also what does a 4K chip have to do with apps and an App Store? If the Apple TV had a 4K chip it wouldn't have apps and an App Store? What would have replaced the App Store with a 4K chip?
I'm with John Gruber when it comes to Mark Gurmam's reporting. He might get specific leak details right but the narrative he weaves around them is usually not accurate. Suggesting the Apple TV went the App Store route because Apple was too cheap to include a 4K chip makes no sense. If we get a new box this year with a 4K chip I doubt the App Store will go away.
In my case Charter Spectrum does not yet support single sign-on. Would really like that feature. Also Charter Spectrum not supporting HBO Go.
As well, Siri not searching into Netflix needs to be worked out between the companies. I have had issues with reaching my iTunes library on my iMac, it shows the content but will not play them. Video stills runs darker than Coax fed digital cable.
Still needs work and polish but I think it has a bright future.
Overall, I use my Apple TV rarely, but when I do I am generally pleased with the experience. Some of these fixes will definitely have me using it more.
Things that aren't prominent: USB-C, 3.5mm jackless devices. Yet Apple moved forward. 4K capable phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. Oh, wait - that last part is not true and Apple has all of those. Content? Netflix, Amazon, Youtube, premium cable, and Apple customer created content.
That content argument is as valid now as it was when Apple was at 720p when the rest of the world was at 1080p. It didn't work then, it doesn't work now.
Personally, I'm glad the deals fell through. To future of TV isn't with cable companies but rather with content providers like Netflix. It's he cable providers that needs to adapt this model not the other way around.
I "cut the cable" over three years ago and pay less and get more (at least of the content I want) and has never looked back.
Streaming boxes and similar is the future, so Apple should push out a 4K model and maybe consider a bit better support for games. Look at the Nintendo Switch. Hardware-wise it has really nothing on the Apple TV, except the mobility, which you have your iPad/iPhone for.
I "cut the cable" over three years ago and pay less and get more (at least of the content I want) and has never looked back.
Streaming boxes and similar is the future, so Apple should push out a 4K model and maybe consider a bit better support for games. Look at the Nintendo Switch. Hardware-wise it has really nothing on the Apple TV, except the mobility, which you have your iPad/iPhone for.
God forbid Apple accept lower than 40% profit margins. Sometimes, positioning a product as a loss-leader is necessary to gain market share. Particularly in the set top streaming market, and facing stiff competition from Google, Amazon, and Roku.
The thing is no one is taking this literally. You simply can't go and apply it for every idea. That way you would accomplish nothing in your lifetime.
How is Cupertino a replaceable word for Apple?
'the Cupertino company' seems fine. But an entire city?
When it comes to 4K, they applied that exact idea to all of their other products... 'cept the ATV. The ATV got the zamboni treatment.