Issues are too expensive and not enough compelling features - especially in markets outside of the US.
The 4th gen set looks like a bit of a disaster - clearly designed and specc'd in 2014 after the iPhone 6 launch but delayed because of the ongoing streaming rights discussions. by WWDC it looks like the discussions have all fallen through. What they should have done was wait until early 2016 and release an A9-powered box with HDMI 2.0a and HDR10 support (possibly Dolby Vision too). Such a box would have been a lot more future-proof (A9 will be able to hardware decode 10-bit HEVC in iOS/TvOS 11) and allowed people to move on to 4k without a further $150 outlay. The 4th Gen ended up offering nothing really compelling over the 3rd generation box in terms of capability (both played 1080p) - the main differentiators of the Siri remote and App store just haven't lived up to the hype.
I hope Apple learns and releases a $150 (max) box and a $200 'console-edition' box with Apple-designed controller to encourage gaming development. Anything worse than this will be a big miss.
The 4th gen set looks like a bit of a disaster - clearly designed and specc'd in 2014 after the iPhone 6 launch but delayed because of the ongoing streaming rights discussions. by WWDC it looks like the discussions have all fallen through. What they should have done was wait until early 2016 and release an A9-powered box with HDMI 2.0a and HDR10 support (possibly Dolby Vision too). Such a box would have been a lot more future-proof (A9 will be able to hardware decode 10-bit HEVC in iOS/TvOS 11) and allowed people to move on to 4k without a further $150 outlay. The 4th Gen ended up offering nothing really compelling over the 3rd generation box in terms of capability (both played 1080p) - the main differentiators of the Siri remote and App store just haven't lived up to the hype.
I hope Apple learns and releases a $150 (max) box and a $200 'console-edition' box with Apple-designed controller to encourage gaming development. Anything worse than this will be a big miss.