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Remote for Next-Generation Apple TV to Include 'Touch Pad' for Scrolling

This means they are about to add a bunch of channels or why would they need a way to scroll quickly.

Also, I wish they'd make it the size on an encyclopedia because j keep losing the blasted thing ;)
 
2010mini said:
believe it or not, 4K content is still rather sparse. So why the push for that now
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Because Apple waits so long between upgrades.

We are the tech envelope pushers and Apple is the nickel and dimers.

Also, please, God, anything, but, IR!

The app isn't all that great either. I judge all streaming devices against the Roku. Love that little box ☺️
Interface isn't pretty but it has Plex and a million other apps.

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Michael Goff said:
Why not 8k while they're at it? Gotta think ahead!
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You don't have to be smart ass. Just because you don't have a 4k TV doesn't mean many others don't.

How's 480p treating you #
 
ActionableMango said:
Did those come with Apple TVs? I have a couple of those old plastic ones but in my case they came with Macs.

I miss Front Row. :(
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It came with the 1st Gen Apple TV. And yes, those remotes worked for Apple TV as well as MacBooks.

I miss being able to use it to control the MacBook. The retina MacBook was finally given an HDMI port for easy connection to the TV, but the lack of IR inhibits it in a home theater type setup.
 
How about just having an (iOS) app that acts as an Apple TV remote? The interface of Apple TV can thus be changed to make it more compatible with a fully touchscreen 'remote'.

Surely a majority of all Apple TV owners also own either an iPhone or an iPad or both.
 
The touch pad will likely replace the circular click-wheel style control that's on the existing remote, giving users an easier way to scroll through content on the Apple TV. Currently, navigating through content on a channel like Netflix with the Apple TV remote requires users to click multiple times on the click wheel.
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We're so lazy.
 
misterberry said:
I miss being able to use it to control the MacBook. The retina MacBook was finally given an HDMI port for easy connection to the TV, but the lack of IR inhibits it in a home theater type setup.
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IR requires line of sight which bluetooth and wifi doesnt.
I do miss the days at uni where one remote could control all the Macs with IR ports. And Frontrow was a cool if gimmicky feature.
 
malexandria said:
"Easy to lose?" What a stupid argument. All remotes are easy to lose! You can fast forward, rewind, pause, open the menu, etc. What more "functionality" is it supposed to have?
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I agree. I don't want remote to get bigger for the sake of being less likely to lose. I would settle for a "ping remote" button on the back of Apple TV instead.

As for the remote itself, it doesn't need to do a whole lot of stuff, unless it's also aiming to be a game controller. So unless it'll intend to double as a game controller, just make it Bluetooth, and add microphone for Siri voice input.

On a personal note, I am personally fine using Apple Watch as the remote but obviously, the watch isn't meant to be shared with family members.
 
HiRez said:
If the next ATV doesn't have a non-line-of-sight remote of some kind I'm DONe with Apple TV. Overall I love the thing, but the remote is the biggest piece of crap I've ever used, it's brutal. It's not so much the design, it's the fact that like 75% of the time it just doesn't work. I have to stand up and lean towards the tv and point it exactly right at the box to get it to acknowledge actions, and even then it's flakey. When doing fast forward or rewind actions I oven way overshoot because it didn't get the play command. Just horribly unresponsive.
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Believe me, I agree wholeheartedly, I just know there's going to be a few universal remote users out there that will be upset by the change.
 
Can't you already use your iPhone/iPad/Apple Watch as a remote using its touch screen for input? What's wrong with the combination of using the Apple TV remote that already exists and an iPhone? Seems to fill the artificial void that people are making the current remote's design out to be.

Keep the physical buttons, at the very least. It's not easy at all to use a touch screen when you blindly pick up the remote to pause the movie you're watching in the dark.
 
That remote is also identical to the Amazon Fire TV remote.

App Store and Siri i'm really hoping for.... I've got an ATV2 that i'm itching to replace. i really hope they do something cool in June as the ATV is a fantastic bit of kit it just needs a bit of TLC.

I recently bough the Amazon Fire TV (for a friend - so i had some time to test it out) and it has some very good quality apps for Netflix and Plex which i really want to see on the ATV; and a bluetooth remote which was really nice :) Btw - the Fire TV itself is really just a Prime store-front, albeit a pretty one, and voice control doesn't work within apps so i'm hoping if Apple integrate Siri they won't make that mistake and give the API to devs to use in their apps.
 
HiRez said:
If the next ATV doesn't have a non-line-of-sight remote of some kind I'm DONe with Apple TV. Overall I love the thing, but the remote is the biggest piece of crap I've ever used, it's brutal. It's not so much the design, it's the fact that like 75% of the time it just doesn't work. I have to stand up and lean towards the tv and point it exactly right at the box to get it to acknowledge actions, and even then it's flakey. When doing fast forward or rewind actions I oven way overshoot because it didn't get the play command. Just horribly unresponsive.
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I was so used to IR remotes like the ATV one i didn't even think of this until i recently played with a Fire TV which has a bluetooth remote.... It was a revelation! Kids were running in front of TV, i was changing stuff from the kitchen, none of which hindered it at all, it was amazing. So, yes, this is an absolute must have for me now!
 
kimble3 said:
They can redesign the remote all they want but the real problem is still the fact that it takes me three remotes to use my Apple TV.

I need the TV remote to switch inputs from TV to the Apple TV, the Apple TV remote to control the content I want to watch, and my cable/TV remote to adjust the volume.

Maybe they've come up with some kind of super remote than control all my AV equipment but I kind of doubt it. And learning/smart remotes still require a PHD to figure out how to set up and configure them not to mention how expensive they are.
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This.

I had a thought that it would be good if Apple TV acted as a hub for all TV inputs. ie your cable / satellite / DVD etc all plug into it via HDMI and then Apple TV becomes the parent device where you could select each source as if they were an app.

You could also have apps.

I'll keep dreaming.
 
The current remote is the worst remote ever.

It's so small one minute you put it down , the next its in the other room playing Xbox one by itself. The amount of times I have had to tear the room apart trying to find...
 
HiRez said:
I have to stand up and lean towards the tv and point it exactly right at the box to get it to acknowledge actions, and even then it's flakey. When doing fast forward or rewind actions I oven way overshoot because it didn't get the play command. Just horribly unresponsive.
Click to expand...
Sounds like your remote's battery is (nearly) empty.
 
I think a Force Touch enabled remote would be perfect for a number of reasons.

1. Provides mouse like cursor control - I love the trackpad on my Macbook Pro, so much so that I don't use a mouse anymore.

2. Iphone apps are made for touch screens. Games like Angry Birds with the pinch/zoom are much better with a trackpad which emulates the screen on your phone.

Siri will be great for the ultimate in laziness. Want to avoid some tedious on screen typing for a search? Just use Siri to get the job done with minimal effort. Siri would also be great for finding any information on the web, or even Maps integration on my TV would be kind of cool.
 
i actually love the simplicity of the current remote. However, I love the roku remote that allows me to plug in headphones so I can continue watching when my wife wants to sleep. I hate having to scroll around when trying to type something in the search screen. And I hate how you have to enter your passcode when purchasing in a manner that is totally visible to anyone in the room.

If a remote could address these issues, I am totally on board. it would also be awesome if they would allow me to play games on the ATV and use my phone or a game controller to interact with the ATV.
 
To be honest a redesigned remote wouldn't be a selling point for me, I'm looking for apple to go down the stick route for the devivce like the Fire or Chromecast so that I don't have to have another box under/around my TV.
 
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