That's not Apple, that's YouTube producing one of the worst app experiences on the Apple TV, by doing a no-effort port of one of their other versions.
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Will Apple Make a TV? What to Know as Rumors Resurface
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I see two big problems with Apple producing an actual all-in-one television:
I'm using an Apple TV (4K 2nd gen) plugged into an LG C1 (along with a PS5 and Sonos speakers), and the system is terrific, and the only times I touch the LG's remote are to watch the occasional OTA broadcast (like the Super Bowl, or Olympics - everything else is streaming). I use the Apple TV's remote for everything else (except when using a PS5 controller). The only bits of the LG's UI that I ever see is when "Dolby Vision" or "HDR10" or such pops up in the corner for a second when changing signal protocols, and the "HDMI1 - Apple TV" or "HDMI3 - PS5" notifications, again popping up for a second, when changing inputs - other than that, the LG is just a monitor.
If Apple wanted to go one step further... build a TV tuner into the Apple TV streaming box (and put a coax connector on the back of the box), and come up with a new Apple-supplied "BroadcastTV" or "OverTheAir" app, that simply uses that tuner, putting their own broadcast TV spin on the interface (it could even use this new Apple TV's capacious storage to Tivo/time-shift a few broadcast shows, and make them appear in "Up Next" in the Apple TV app).
Maybe make this an optional deluxe box while still having the current box sans tuner - call the new one "Apple TV Max" or something. Then the user could hook up an Apple TV box to any current TV set or any computer monitor, and have a full "TV" system, and never have to touch their TV's remote again.
- There's a bunch of big players in the market already, who produce fantastic displays with mediocre cheap Android / Web OS interfaces. And they sell their TVs on very slim margins (in some cases recouping the loss on initial sales price by getting paid for selling your viewing data to marketers, but the general public is oblivious to that). You have to compete with them. You can make a much better user experience, but they can make the really great screens and driver electronics, which are 95% of the cost. With the current Apple TV streaming box, you get Apple's great UI piggybacked on top of all those other great screens already.
- The streaming UI experience and apps and the electronics to drive that are evolving at a much faster rate than the physical screens. A screen from ten years ago can still look really good today, while a streaming box from ten years ago is much more likely to feel limited by its older hardware. If you package the two together into one unit, then when you start feeling like your streaming experience is missing the latest innovations, instead of upgrading to a new $100-$200 streaming box, you have to spend thousands of dollars on a whole new integrated-TV, even if you were still happy with the TV's image itself. Or, you could buy a standalone Apple TV streaming box, and plug it into an HDMI input on your nifty-all-in-one Apple TV, bypassing the older built-in Apple TV streaming hardware in the nifty-all-in-one Apple TV. Not an ideal situation.
I'm using an Apple TV (4K 2nd gen) plugged into an LG C1 (along with a PS5 and Sonos speakers), and the system is terrific, and the only times I touch the LG's remote are to watch the occasional OTA broadcast (like the Super Bowl, or Olympics - everything else is streaming). I use the Apple TV's remote for everything else (except when using a PS5 controller). The only bits of the LG's UI that I ever see is when "Dolby Vision" or "HDR10" or such pops up in the corner for a second when changing signal protocols, and the "HDMI1 - Apple TV" or "HDMI3 - PS5" notifications, again popping up for a second, when changing inputs - other than that, the LG is just a monitor.
If Apple wanted to go one step further... build a TV tuner into the Apple TV streaming box (and put a coax connector on the back of the box), and come up with a new Apple-supplied "BroadcastTV" or "OverTheAir" app, that simply uses that tuner, putting their own broadcast TV spin on the interface (it could even use this new Apple TV's capacious storage to Tivo/time-shift a few broadcast shows, and make them appear in "Up Next" in the Apple TV app).
Maybe make this an optional deluxe box while still having the current box sans tuner - call the new one "Apple TV Max" or something. Then the user could hook up an Apple TV box to any current TV set or any computer monitor, and have a full "TV" system, and never have to touch their TV's remote again.
I predicted no Apple car.
I predicted no one would buy the snorkeling goggles.
I'll mention it - the worst problems with YouTube's app for the Apple TV:
- Their horrible non-standard implementation of the timeline: with any other app, if I want to go back 10 seconds, I hit the left edge of the main control and it instantly jumps back (with or without the timeline popping up for a second), but with YouTube's implementation, that first press gets the app's attention and brings up the timeline, then I need a second press to go back 10 seconds, and then I need a third press, on the center of the disc, to start it playing again (like, "yes, okay, play <here>"). And, particularly if I'm trying to go back 20, 30, or more seconds, the app will, infuriatingly, sometimes randomly decide (like maybe 1 time in 6) to jump back half (or a third, or some other large portion) of the way to the beginning of the video, completely losing my place. And particularly if you're accustomed to quickly doing the "tap left, left, left, middle" pattern, you will have jumped randomly way back to earlier in the video, before you can stop your fingers from confirming the choice. This is one of the most infuriating UI design fails I have ever seen, and I unfortunately experience it on a daily basis.
- When you do bring up the timeline, on Apple TV only (iOS / iPadOS versions of YouTube don't do this), it maddeningly covers up about a third of the screen with thumbnails of other videos, the timeline, the title, and a whole bunch of buttons - hey, I didn't say I wanted to do detailed things on this video, I literally just tried to rewind a bit, and the app is saying HEY THERE! PERHAPS YOU'D LIKE TO STOP WATCHING THIS VIDEO AND CHECK OUT THESE OTHER VIDEOS, BECAUSE WE THINK MAYBE YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE OUR MAIN MENU IS OR HOW TO SEARCH FOR VIDEOS. Pause the playback for a second to read something on screen? DID YOU SEE THESE OTHER VIDEOS? Hit play again after pausing (and dismissing the thumbnails, and you looked at the onscreen detail you wanted to see and now you want to start watching the video again)? EXCUSE ME, PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THESE OTHER VIDEOS. You literally have to say "start playing" immediately followed by "no, really, I just want to watch the video I was already watching". It's a close second for most infuriating UI design fail, and it's in the very same app, in the very same section (playback of videos). You would think that "playback of videos" would be something that YouTube might have a little experience with, but apparently not. Oh, and those thumbnails will disappear on their own, eventually - but the button to dismiss them is the same button for cancelling playback of the current video - guess what happens if you wait for them to go away, and then give up and decide to dismiss them at the same time YouTube decides to make them go away on their own? Yep, you end up cancelling playback of the video you were trying to watch.
Apple never wanted to make a Roku stick/Fire TV stick, it's just too inexpensive to make any money from. Its been suggested over the years many times.
Any content gets upscaled to 8k. First weeks I couldn't take my eyes off it. Also YouTube has some native 8k content. The picture is gorgeous.
And I can choose whatever distance is most comfortable for the. But I do like to seat close.
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Apple is well positioned to do this, they can take a minimal margin or even loss to disrupt the market, and they can support TVs for a long long time if they wish software wise unlike other manufacturers who don’t care.
I would buy one just for a proper Apple brightenss control.
However, currently, Apple TV software if very underwhelming, especially the voice control. With AI, I expect Siri to navigate EVERY app with voice, regardless of developer integration.
I would buy one just for a proper Apple brightenss control.
However, currently, Apple TV software if very underwhelming, especially the voice control. With AI, I expect Siri to navigate EVERY app with voice, regardless of developer integration.
The content doesn't get upscaled anywhere close to true 8K. It's probably closer to true 5K at best. I just want you to understand that, since you dropped $25k on that TV. I'm not saying this to be rude either, because I like your set up. However, watching simulated fireplaces and cityscapes in 8K on YouTube is great for a week or two, but then what? Anyway, if you enjoy it, good for you!
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Chump change. I buy and sell men like you every day, and spend that much on aftershave.
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Since Mark Gurman stirred the rumor about Apple making a TV, he decided a whole article would be popular this week.
www.bloomberg.com
Apple’s Next Step in TV Should Be a Streaming Stick and Not a Full Set
Apple doesn’t need its own TV set. But it should make a low-cost TV streaming stick to bring its content, apps and smart home features to more households. Also: Siri will be revamped for the modern AI era; Amazon beats Apple to new smart home displays; and Oura and Dexcom team up in a bid to...
www.bloomberg.com
I appreciate your perspective, but I see there’s a misunderstanding about how modern 8K TVs handle upscaling. The content does get upscaled to 8K—meaning the TV’s processor fills in the missing pixels to match the native resolution of the screen (7680 x 4320). While the input source may not be true 8K, the algorithms used by high-end TVs like mine (with AI-based processors) are designed to enhance detail, reduce noise, and optimize sharpness for that resolution.
You’re right that upscaled content isn’t exactly the same as true native 8K, but it’s far from being capped at “true 5K.” Upscaling typically more effective in factors of 2, so 4k content upscaled to 8k, and with today’s AI processors, the result can be surprisingly close to native quality—especially for high-quality 4K sources. Sony and Samsung also offer 8k upscaling for LCD TVs, but LG is the only manufacturer of 8k OLEDs.
The 8k TV advantages:
- Advanced AI upscaling technology in 8K TVs can significantly improve the quality of lower-resolution content (e.g., 4K, 2k, 1080p) by reducing noise, sharpening details, and better color depth, contrast, HDR performance, wider viewing angles
- Gaming Consoles Support: Modern consoles can output native 8K signals, ensuring compatibility with the latest gaming advancements.
- Smart TV OS: The TV OS is displayed in native 8k, no upscaling. The advantages:
- Crystal-Clear Text and UI Elements: The high pixel density ensures that text (smart TV menu labels, descriptions, app titles, web browser text) is incredibly sharp and easy to read, even at small font sizes.
- More Information at a Glance: With more screen real estate, the OS can show multiple apps, settings, or previews simultaneously without feeling cluttered.
- Improved Multiview Modes: Features like picture-in-picture (PIP) or split-screen become far more effective, as each section retains excellent clarity.
- Future-Proofing: native content and streaming services gradually moving in the 8K direction:
- YouTube supports 8K video uploads and playback.
- Vimeo offers 8K video support.
- The Explorers service provides an 8K streaming service.
- Samsung TV Plus partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to offer 8K movie trailers.
- PlayStation 5 Pro offering 8k output
I do appreciate your thoughts, and I agree—what matters most is that I do enjoy the experience.
Another premium 8K TV: the $24,000 Bang and Olufsen 77 inch OLED tv (LG panel), integrated motorized sound system.
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That’s what I’m stuck on too. That’s a *lot* for a TV, that’s getting into car level prices
Life is short and I just want the best. You can't buy a new 8K 88-inch OLED TV any cheaper than $25K. List price is $29K. There is a used one on Amazon for 13K which is a steal.
"Car level prices" can also vary. I paid for my Ferrari 812 GTS close to half a million.
Just frivolous spend. Wealthy people don’t stay wealthy dropping $25k on a tv that will be 60-70% less in 2-3 years.
The only reason I sort of like the idea of an Apple TV set is that I hate the terrible "smart" TVs I have to endure. If I could get an old-fashioned dumb TV with an AppleTV box I would have zero interest in it.
That's frequently a common usage, you have an older small 1080P, or 4K TV with no smartness, or older poorly supported OS, and pair it with an Apple TV 4K. The only requirement is HDMI 1.4 or newer. Just use the TV for OTA reception then.
Since Mark Gurman stirred the rumor about Apple making a TV, he decided a whole article would be popular this week.
Apple’s Next Step in TV Should Be a Streaming Stick and Not a Full Set
Apple doesn’t need its own TV set. But it should make a low-cost TV streaming stick to bring its content, apps and smart home features to more households. Also: Siri will be revamped for the modern AI era; Amazon beats Apple to new smart home displays; and Oura and Dexcom team up in a bid to...
He's right. Just make a cheaper Apple TV fgs!
In what world are they selling this for five grand and making a 60% margin?!