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If this happens, android users will literally take apart the code and run this on every android phone and tablet in no time
Nonsense. The app will be blocked on anything that is not a supported Sony TV.
And anyway I don't see why android users would care in the first place.
 
And I just bought an AF9 on January 1st. It was nice to be on the cutting edge for all of six days. :)
 
I have one of their high-end OLED models from 2018 (AF8) and while the picture quality is great, software, or rather its performance, absolutely sucks.

And they won't update it with Airplay 2 support.
Sony uses lg's oled panels.
If you dont want you old tech oled sell it to me ill take it off your hands ;)

What do you mean performance? like the software side of things? or motion?
 
Sony uses lg's oled panels.
If you dont want you old tech oled sell it to me ill take it off your hands ;)

What do you mean performance? like the software side of things? or motion?
Software side. Opening a menu and navigating while watching content can take seconds.
 
Is Apple not concerned about these new features cannibalizing Apple TV sales? I am all for these additions and I know the Apple TV offers a different experience but for most people having air play streaming from their iPhone to their tv would be enough to pass on buying the Apple TV instead. I’m sure Apple isn’t making these TV manufacturers pay licensing fees equivalent to the price of an Apple TV.
You're looking at it backwards. TV manufactures aren't paying Apple licensing for access to their platform; Apple are making their platform available for TVs to increase market penetration.

Put simply Apple knows almost everyone wants a TV, not everyone wants an iOS powered Apple TV box.
 
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In the mean time, can Apple also make their own devices talk to each other?

Not being able to control the Apple TV through the HomePod sometimes makes you wonder what the point of having their own ecosystem is. Especially when these 3rd party TVs will now have Siri functionality.
 
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In the mean time, can Apple also make their own devices talk to each other?

Not being able to control the Apple TV through the HomePod sometimes makes you wonder what the point of having their own ecosystem is. Especially when these 3rd party tv will now have Siri functionality.
they should already do that with the applewatch or an iPhone with just Siri. There is a lot of things apple needs to do with software.
 
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Software side. Opening a menu and navigating while watching content can take seconds.

It’s because it’s Android 7. Newer TVs, like my AF9, run android 8 and also have new chipsets and processors. Android is responsive and flies. The good news is you get a firmware update for your AF8 to Android 8 anytime now which should help a lot.
 
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if you got your x900f on discount like i did (I paid 1699 for a 65" and saw it drop down to $1599 in december) I'd keep it and get the apple tv. when that 950G comes out it's going to likely be upwards of 2K. The 900F is an amazing tv, Airplay 2 seems to be the major difference.
I payed $1149 for my 65” X900F through AAFES (I’m former Air Force) with no taxes, and free shipping. They can keep their AirPlay.
 
Software side. Opening a menu and navigating while watching content can take seconds.
You have to disable google cast from that TV. I have a 2017 Sony Bravia OLED and Google crap slowed my TV to a halt. After I disabled most of the Google services, my TV runs at full speed. Yes I have an Apple TV4K but YouTube and Netflix work much faster than the Apple apps. I'll wait till 2020 to replace my TV and chuck my Apple TV out the window!
 
Negative. Then the very worst cheapo TV manufacturers will fail to provide good enough power to run it smoothly, won't supply timely updates, etc. Look at the difference between an ultra-cheap PC and a more expensive one when you run any modern game or large app. If they ruin the experience, who will get the blame? Apple will, not sucky TCL.

Understandable concerns, but Apple has been doing this for a while. CarPlay is a licensed Apple interface that plays on top of third party hardwares. I don’t expect this interface would be as good as Apple’s own hardware with timely updates and support, but then again like I suggest, it’s a watered down version with some feature loss. Let’s say a disabled content purchase, but able to play any subscription/purchased items.

This will make Apple TV still a viable option if we want a full experience with tvOS. But basic functions can be fulfilled with barebone tvOS, along with AirPlay and HomeKit support.

There’s also HomeKit and MFI licensing in case you’re worried about TV SoC being not powerful enough to run Apple’s interface. I think manufacturers will be able to obey to the specification and it will run only on higher end TVs, which should be great inside and out.
 
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Home kit and Siri are so far behind Amazon Alexa it’s a joke. So far, that I feel like Tony Stark walking around my Malibu mansion. Apple completely dropped the ball on both. Sincerely, an Apple fanboy.
I prefer using HomeKit and Siri over both amazon and google.
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In the mean time, can Apple also make their own devices talk to each other?

Not being able to control the Apple TV through the HomePod sometimes makes you wonder what the point of having their own ecosystem is. Especially when these 3rd party TVs will now have Siri functionality.
You actually can pause, play, fast forward and rewind video on Apple TV from HomePod
 
I buy for screen. Not audio. And definitely not ui or smart features that I will NEVER use. I’ll keep my tv for as long as it breaks down. In a few years I’d rather just get the latest streamer again and hopefully that’s an Apple TV.

An 85 900f is on my list when it goes on sale soon for super bowl.
 
This is simply the easiest way for Apple to start user testing services against TVs, by utilising other vendors hardware.

Not as daft as it might sound. You create a market from limited features they get used to using before bringing your own product to market with all the extra bells and whistles.

It's what they've done with their own device eco system for years.
 
Apple, under Tim, has again ceded an area of the home that Apple had a major lead in. There WAS so much potential for Apple TV as an appliance, services gateway, and ecosystem pillar. Now, it's essentially being deprecated into an app for competitors.
 
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LG TV sets are running WebOS. :) But you are right, Samsung TV sets run Tizen not Android TV.

I guess it's a case of Samsung having the time and cash to fund development of the iTunes app, something LG lacks (assuming the hefty price tag Apple must be asking).
 
Home kit and Siri are so far behind Amazon Alexa it’s a joke. So far, that I feel like Tony Stark walking around my Malibu mansion. Apple completely dropped the ball on both. Sincerely, an Apple fanboy.

I use Homekit and I think its ok, I don't have too many issues speaking commands to SIRI for most of the Homekit devices I have. But SIRI in general sucks, I think we all know that. Like today I tried to schedule an Appointment in calendar for pay day. I said "Pay All Bills Due", SIRI could not recognize pay, it was hey all bills due, or play all bills due, or "hey or bills". I don't have an unusual accent just "Standard Australian English" (not the broad Australian accent). I tried speaking very clearly but nope, same results over and over and over. I gave up and just typed it in the calendar. Hopeless.
 
Home kit and Siri are so far behind Amazon Alexa it’s a joke. So far, that I feel like Tony Stark walking around my Malibu mansion. Apple completely dropped the ball on both. Sincerely, an Apple fanboy.

HomeKit is more reliable and easier to set up than Alexa. I have Google, Amazon, and HomeKit/Siri devices (3 Echo Dots and 1 Google Home Mini) and HomeKit works the best. I like Alexa and Google Assistant and use them more than Siri but for smarthome control, HomeKit is ahead. This doesn't mean Siri is ahead but HomeKit has been much more reliable than Amazon and Google's offerings. Alexa made improvements in ease of setup within the past couple months though.

I'm not saying I have issues setting up devices with Google Home/Assistant or Alexa but if my non-techie wife (but extremely intelligent and well-versed in many things) was setting things up, she'd struggle more with Alexa and Google Assistant than with HomeKit.
 
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