Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Google Chromecast Leapfrogs Apple TV as the Aging Media Player Loses Ground to Rivals

If Apple wants to get serious about it, I feel like the Apple TV could have a far bigger impact than an Apple Watch.

TV is a stale industry that could use some major innovation.

Watches are also stale, but I also don't see them having near as much potential as TV.
 
Even after repeated software upgrades, my 3rd gen Apple TV still fails to update with new shows available, freezes periodically, claims it can't load content that was previously purchased, etc.

It is a mess, and I am finally ditching it this month for a Roku. Either treat it like a total hobby and open source it, or get out of the market entirely Apple.

What pisses me off is now I will start gather content on a different ecosystem. But I guess oh well, Apple doesn't seem to care....
 
Duh. It costs like $30. Not to mention the fact that Apple isn't doing ANYTHING to make the ATV more compelling. All these hints and rumors we hear about a new atv never pan out to anything. Honestly the chromecast is a turd in comparison to the atv, but it's $60 cheaper and most folks are barely aware the atv exists. Apple has done nothing to push its appeal other than some behind the scenes updates. No commercials that I've ever seen, or really any other publicity. Really, for the $60 price difference they are going to have to educate people on why the atv is a better device, or offer a bit more for your $.

That being said, I love my atv and use it daily. I just want them to actually try harder with this device. Either release a new updated box with some bells and whistles people really want, or make the current model offer more in the way of exclusive channels or SOMETHING.
 
It's all about (regional) content

In Canada…

The pain point here is the limited number of content options it provides to its Canadian users. When compared to what’s available to other streaming media devices here in Canada, the content options available on a Chromecast seem pretty slim. Apple TV users in this country enjoy the largest selection of movies, TV and music to purchase or rent of any service available today.

from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/tech...romecast-worth-its-low-price/article18052592/
 
I've been going back and fourth on which to go with. I have a natural affinity for Apple but yeah, the price is much higher. Worst of all I can't seem to get a straight answer as to what you get with an AppleTV. What channels are included. What are there only if you pay for a separate subscription. What is there only if you have it through your Cable system already. The Apple site is useless. The local salespeople hem and haw and look at the floor. Sorry but even the bandits at the Cable Company will give you a list of "if you pay this you get these".

All I want to know is what the little box will do for me.
 
ATV is too tied to Apple store and services I can't use. My first gen Roku works much better!
 
fivedots said:
I have a few questions about the Chromecast:

We have iPhones, iPads, Macs, and a Windows laptop. We do not own or use iTunes content in any way. We do torrent TV shows and use Air Video HD to AirPlay over to the Apple TV with great success. We also have an Xbox One but in general I find the apps on the Apple TV better and the local streaming more reliable and simpler. I also regularly Airplay Spotify and random web videos from one my devices to the Apple TV. I quite like that Airplay is built into the OS vs. each app.

How well does a Chromecast work for an Apple household like us? I'm assuming each app needs to support the Chromecast individually. Doesn't seem that Spotify does.

In the end, it seems like the Apple TV is still the much simpler solution for people like me?
Click to expand...

Yes, I would stick with the ATV. Since you're pretty much living in AirPlay, which is the only thing the ATV excels at IMHO.

We use the Roku and a Playstation for all of our streaming and content watching needs, and the apps on either device are much more polished and robust, and give far better options than the ATV.

p.s. I just checked, and you can stream things from your iOS device to your Roku using the app . . . . so I'm not totally sure about AirPlay being a selling point anymore. I know you can't mirror a Mac OS X display, so maybe that's the only benefit.

Dwalls90 said:
Is anyone surprised?
Click to expand...

I'm not, but even comparing the $99 Roku to the $99 Apple TV shows how bad Apple is doing with it. We can keep saying the Chromecast is better because it's a quarter the price, but that's moot when you compare it to the Roku or even a $300 PlayStation.

The internal storage and media slots alone are worth moving over to a $99 Roku.
 
Blakjack said:
It's a $25 device. It should be outselling the Apple TV. I bought one just to have one. Didn't hurt my pockets at all. The Apple TV is hands down better than the cromecast though.
Click to expand...
Indeed. The Chromecast is a quarter of the price of an Apple TV, but does a quarter of the features.

I own a Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and an Apple TV 2nd gen. I use the Fire TV for Plex, but whenever I want to watch something on HBOGo or Showtime, I have to switch to the Apple TV. I rarely use the Chromecast because I don't want to control my content by searching for it on my phone and casting it to the TV. A dedicated remote is a deal breaker and everyone who's ever wanted to unwind at the end of the day with a show knows exactly what I'm talking about. That being said, if the Apple TV were to get an App Store with Plex - it would certainly be my player of choice.
 
Populism said:
Apple needs a new 'hobby'.
Click to expand...

Apple needs a new LEADER, but that's just my opinion. I know other people think Tim is doing a great job; I think we'll look back in 10 years (or less) and find out that he was really just riding Jobs' coattails and really didn't offer that much of substance to the company.
 
Had 2 ATV’s for years. Just sold them and replaced them with Amazon Fire TV.

It beats ATV hands down. Does everything ATV does (including AirPlay) and so much more. Faster, smoother and smarter.
 
Not surprised at all by the numbers. The apple tv is absolutely lagging behind the competition in features and price. The lack of an app store is killing the apple tv and I cannot believe that they havent released one yet, its frustrating to say the least. I recently picked up a roku and a fire tv to fill in the gaps that the apple tv leaves. The roku ended up going back to the store due to its horribly slow and clunky interface, but the fire tv is really nice, so much so that it has replaced my apple tv as my go to device.
 
Despite not being able to Airplay from Apple devices, my new $20 Fire TV does much more than Apple TV. I have both and now I am using Fire TV exclusively in my media room. Remote works much better as well.
 
I was given an apple tv2 two years ago. I primarily use it for Netflix and occasionally rent movies from Apple. I cut my cable and it has continuously worked fine.

I do wish the big four networks played on it the way the play on my iPad. Being able to view the previous week's episodes.
 
I use my Apple TV all of the time. The only problem is that I haven't had a need to update or replace it. I've had my 2nd Gen for several years now. 720p does just fine for my netflix viewing and watching movies I've bought on iTunes or playing iTunes radio while I clean my apartment.

It's also a nice way to enjoy Netflix, HBO Go, and Hulu Plus without going through my xbox 360. Even though I have it turned off I still get login notifications when viewing movies on the xbox netflix app.
 
Digital Skunk said:
Yes, I would stick with the ATV. Since you're pretty much living in AirPlay, which is the only thing the ATV excels at IMHO.

We use the Roku and a Playstation for all of our streaming and content watching needs, and the apps on either device are much more polished and robust, and give far better options than the ATV.

p.s. I just checked, and you can stream things from your iOS device to your Roku using the app . . . . so I'm not totally sure about AirPlay being a selling point anymore. I know you can't mirror a Mac OS X display, so maybe that's the only benefit.
Click to expand...

Excellent, thanks. I am happy with the Apple TV and just ordered another one and wanted to make sure it was the right choice. It meets all my needs and is dead simple for all of my guests to stream to as well. Not the best value but it's simple and reliable.

The Apple TV apps are already better the the Xbox One versions of the same things (Netflix, NHL, etc.). Shudder.
 
Google Chromecast Leapfrogs Apple TV as the Aging Media Player Loses Ground to Rivals
Click to expand...

Lol i'm sorry, i just imagined Chewbacca leapfrogging a crippled hobbit.

Apple hasn't even tried with the Apple TV imho. Sure they limp it along but its halfhearted at best.
 
Chances are most of the people who bought a Chromecast, Roku or Fire TV have at least 1 iOS device in their house. So why would they buy the competition when they would have a better experience with an Apple TV? Simple; the price is too steep and the hardware is outdated.

This spring Apple needs to bring a new Apple TV with:

1. A new stick like form factor: People already have game systems, Blu Ray players and other hardware hogging up their entertainment center. The current Apple TV is very small but Apple can appeal to more people by offering an even smaller package. Just plug it into your HDMI and your ready to go.

2. 4K video playback: 4K TVs are getting cheaper and selling more. Apple needs to keep up with the times. Also, in 2015 new UHD standards will come into play in the form of HDR and wide color. The new Apple TV needs to support these new features.

Most importantly 3. It must be cheaper: No matter how great the Apple TV truly is, $35 will always look better than $100, especially in the hard times we live in. The new Apple TV should be available for:

$45: for the base unit which is mainly for streaming and AirPlay.

$75: for the more advanced unit that has a beefier A7 processor and can be used to play games from the Apple TV App Store.
 
JUst a thought...

Apple TV running Steam would be bloody impressive... dual A8 or whatever... would love a gaming solution within the Aple ecosystem, my rMBP is out performed by laptops that cost a fair bit less gaming wise.

Not that I would touch one of those plastic behemoths with a barge pole... but...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back