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New Apple TV With A12 Chip and 'One More Thing' Teased Ahead of Next Week's Apple Event

MistrSynistr said:
They need to make this thing slimmer. It's been years and years of this design and then they actually went BIGGER for the 4k version.
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you are the first person ive heard complain about the size of this. It fits in your hand what do you want them to make it smaller for no reason? If anything i think they should increase the size to mac mini size and have more things in it. Its not a phone. You dont put it in your pocket even though you can.
 
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Spanky Deluxe said:
The AppleTV is really a fantastic product, however, it *really* needs to be cheaper. Much *much* cheaper. The 4K AppleTV should be no more than £99.
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The Apple TV is priced just fine. It's not like its something you need to run out and upgrade every year or two years, or something where the battery degrades making longevity impossible. There is nothing wrong with how it is priced. It is a relative cheap product for what it does, and how useful it is. It is impossible to argue otherwise.
 
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please apple add a few usb ports on this thing for a plex/infuse server. It would be the best thing out with the new chip.
Hopefully this gets passthrough audio. I need a reason to get rid of the shield i just bought.
 
PastaPrimav said:
The Apple TV is priced just fine. It's not like its something you need to run out and upgrade every year or two years, or something where the battery degrades making longevity impossible. There is nothing wrong with how it is priced. It is a relative cheap product for what it does, and how useful it is. It is impossible to argue otherwise.
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exactly i think these things are dirt cheap compared to what apple is. I mean how is 150-200$ a lot of money on something you have for 3-5 years? Its the most honest priced thing apple sells imo.
 
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Honestly, I can't help but think there is a full TV streaming service lurking at Apple somewhere. You can't tell me that their entire TV strategy is original content. I think they're getting networks used to the idea of breaking their channels into individual pieces and then they'll provide some kind of service where you can select 10 channels, etc. for $XX.XX. That would truly be revolutionary instead of buying a bunch of programming you never watch. I'd pay $50 for a select group of channels and content that I actually watch with a good UI instead of 70+ channels that I only watch 10 of anyway.
 
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smithrh said:
One issue (only one, there are certainly others) with the remote is that each app's interface is just a bit different, and the touch points for items like skip +10 seconds are defined differently per app.

You have one hot spot for app A, and a slightly different one closer to the edge for app B, and a different one for app C.

Some you need to click, some just touch.

Apple didn't lay down the law well enough on the UI for sure.

Again, other problems exist with the remote, but this is the thing that gets me insane on the regular.
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Yours is the FIRST knock on the remote that actually feels legit. I generally really like the feel of the touchpad, and I think that the UI is pretty efficient. But I’ve definitely experienced the same inconsistency from app to app (e.g. the TBS app doesn’t respect the +10 sec. protocol at all) and it’s frustrating. Luckily, these are things that are fixable. The launch of the new ATV+ service seems like a good time to crack the whip.
 
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blcamp said:
Bought my 4K about 3 months ago. Will have mixed feelings about this one, but I sure hope they redo the remote. The UX is horrendous, even with tvOS 13.x .
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The A10X in the current 4K is no slouch.

It is almost like Apple has a surplus of the A12. They are putting that thing in everything. For those that have an A12 iThing ... you should have good support for a number of years.
 
All I want is a cheap apple TV stick that will let me watch movies I have bought on iTunes and airplay my photos and home movies to that TV screen! Though there might be a chance a Roku could do that for me soon?
 
archer75 said:
I agree. I have no issue with the remote nor does my wife or kids. I can navigate quickly and without issue. Scrubbing is a godsend on this remote! And it lasts forever on one charge. I have two apple TV's and the remotes for both are still going strong.

I have owned just about every streaming box out there and this is easily one of my favorite remotes. The fireTV and Shield remotes being my least favorite.
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Amen!
 
sidewinder3000 said:
Yours is the FIRST knock on the remote that actually feels legit. I generally really like the feel of the touchpad, and I think that the UI is pretty efficient. But I’ve definitely experienced the same inconsistency from app to app (e.g. the TBS app doesn’t respect the +10 sec. protocol at all) and it’s frustrating. Luckily, these are things that are fixable. The launch of the new ATV+ service seems like a good time to crack the whip.
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I am constantly having an issue with menus popping up or down when just trying to jump 10 seconds. It's absurd how bad the remote is with simple navigation.
 
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Apple really needs to put Touch ID in the remote. It's the perfect place for it. Put some of those mini LEDs to use under the buttons so the symbols light up. When you pick it up, the buttons should light up.

Also, wireless charging.

As for the Apple TV, it needs HDMI 2.1. If not now, then in two years (assuming it won't be updated for another two years) it'll be severally lacking. So my guess is HDMI 2.1 is a sure bet. Aside from that, it really doesn't need anything more except for a CPU boost, IMO.
 
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BJMRamage said:
I guess I am in the minority that actually LIKES that remote.

the VIZIO TV remote I have totally sucks and it is tucked away in a box in favor of the Xfinity remote and AppleTV remote
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I also like the remote. I can navigate the Apple TV flawlessly with it.

I don't think most people realize that you can change the speed of how fast the remote scrolls. I have mine set to "fast" but there is also medium and slow.

The setting is under Settings--->Remotes & Devices--->Touch Surface Tracking

:apple:
 
FasterQuieter said:
If it's not the A12X I am not sure it will be significantly better for gaming. It would presumably run cooler though, maybe removing the need for a fan. Hope they sell a new sane remote separately.
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There is a limited GPU benchmark in a article Arstechnica did with a 'sit down' with Apple.

"... that it has 90 percent faster multi-core performance than its predecessor; that it matches the GPU power of the Xbox One S game console with no fan and at a fraction of the size;
... Generally, this GPU has a huge lead in the mobile space, but it's not encroaching on discrete territory the same way the CPU is— ... As for performance gains relative to the iPhone XS and its A12, Shimpi said memory bandwidth is one part of that. "

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/11/apple-walks-ars-through-the-ipad-pros-a12x-system-on-a-chip/

Apple started pitching "A12X" is in the "Xbox One" zone last year. It would not be surprising to see them take he AppleTV there. The 3rd party smart TVs that are getting the AppleTV app aren't going to be able to match this gaming differential if Apple slides a A12X in there. The A12X will smoke all the Smart TVs out there in app gaming application speed. ( some may have better fixed function HDR video processing like upshifting to 4K HDR from a SD source or the like. ) The CPU SoC in TVs are usually geared to running Neflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime apps good enough.
 
My first streaming box was the Apple TV 4th gen. So that's all I'm used to using and I like it even though there are much better and inexpensive options like the Amazon Fire series and the Nvidia Shield TV. I'm still quite happy with the ATV4 but it has developed it's share of buggy quirks with the passing of several OS updates but all in all I'm still happy with it and will buy another one when my ATV4 gives up the ghost.

The worst thing about the ATV4 is the remote. Man I hate that thing with a passion, what a piece of hardware and poorly implemented. The only saving grace is the ATV remote app on the iPad.
 
ipedro said:
Apple has been decentralizing AppleTV into software, going as far as to rename the TV app, simply “Apple TV”. That leaves the current AppleTV box in a state of brand confusion. What do you call the AppleTV box if Apple refers to the app as “Apple TV”?

They’ve also made AirPlay available universally on all major TVs going forward.

Finally, tvOS has been moving to an AppleTV app centred UI away from the app screen. Third party content becoming Channels inside the AppleTV app rather than their own apps. The Home button now defaults to the AppleTV app, not the app home screen.

That AppleTV app is available on Sony, LG, Samsung and Vizio TVs.

It very much sounds like Apple is reducing the importance of their own TV box in favour of gaining access to the biggest possible audience for AppleTV+.

I can see HomePod as the face of the Apple’s home strategy, with AppleTV becoming AirPlay dongles that extend AirPlay to TVs that don’t already have it. The HomePod has a more powerful chip than what is needed for audio alone. A HomePod OS update could bring a tvOS UI. You could AirPlay content to your TV from your HomePod.

I anticipate an HMDI dongle and remote (redesigned) which could come up cheaper, maybe even $99 which would help spread the user base and helps grow the TV+ audience which in turn builds loyalty to the Apple ecosystem and sells iPhones, AppleWatches, AirPods and HomePods.
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Just to let you know, in case you did not already, you change where the Home button takes you. You can either leave it at default and have it take you to the the AppleTV App, or change it to take you to the Home Screen.

It is under Settings--->Remotes & Devices--->Home Button

:apple:
 
sblemmy said:
If Apple TV is going to be a success, it needs to be more than a streaming box. Perhaps Apple Arcade can push the Apple TV as a gaming machine, but I'm not sure it can make a dent in the Switch/PS4/XB1 market.
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The Apple TV for gaming is a horrible experience at the moment. That TV remote as controller was one of the worst ideas Apple has ever had.
 
sblemmy said:
If Apple TV is going to be a success, it needs to be more than a streaming box. Perhaps Apple Arcade can push the Apple TV as a gaming machine, but I'm not sure it can make a dent in the Switch/PS4/XB1 market.
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Apple does need something to separate it from the smart TVs ability to run apps.

I don't think they are going to pitch it as a "hard core" gaming machine. More casual gaming. ( handoff game from phone , ipad to big screen kind of gaming. ). As a "decent enough" gaming box for the price as a side benefit from the streaming functions.

if they go with the A12X that is probably the path they are on.

P.S. There are some Apple Home aspects they may weave in too. The new feature where Apple encrypts security camera video before storing in iCloud. That too could leverage a heftier A12/A12X to either multitask or deal with multiple cameras.
 
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I've not used my AppleTV once(!) since getting my LG OLED-TV. Actually sold it last month, haven't missed it!
 
archer75 said:
I have no such issues.
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I find that hard to believe or I have a completely broken remote. In Hulu I constantly get the guide when trying to skip 10. In Netflix, same issue. Now, this could probably be alleviated if all apps had a touch for 10 jump action rather than press. Right now, the remote is the worst ever designed. It's not Apple's worst design. That goes to the Magic Mouse with the charge port on the bottom. Everybody should have been fired for that.
 
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PlainviewUVGF said:
I find that hard to believe or I have a completely broken remote. In Hulu I constantly get the guide when trying to skip 10. In Netflix, same issue. Now, this could probably be alleviated if all apps had a touch for 10 jump action rather than press. Right now, the remote is the worst ever designed. It's not Apple's worst design. That goes to the Magic Mouse with the charge port on the bottom. Everybody should have been fired for that.
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It could be defective. Or when clicking maybe you're doing a slight swipe at the same time? I sometimes do that on my phone where I'm trying to swipe side to side but instead it thinks I swiped down slightly or vice versa.

I honestly don't have those issues with the ATV remote.
 
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