Apple VP talks Apple TV 4K, commitment to future home audio products

AppleInsider

Apple marketing vice president Tim Twerdahl spoke about the Apple TV 4K in a new interview, detailing some of the new design considerations and covering the absence of Find My for the redesigned remote.

Credit: Apple

Twerdahl, who serves as Apple's vice president of marketing for home and audio, recently spoke with Mobile Syrup to discuss the new Apple TV 4K with a redesigned Siri remote, which launched on Friday.

The Apple executive highlighted the capabilities of the HDMI 2.1 port on the Apple TV 4K. That includes the fact that it supports high-frame rate 4K HDR output and eARC integration, which allows for sound from TV sources to output to a HomePod.

Currently, eARC is only available on the discontinued HomePod, but Twerdahl maintained that Apple is committed to "making great audio products for the home" in the future.

He also covered the redesigned Siri Remote. Although some rumors suggested that Apple would add Find My support for the accessory, Twerdahl says that wasn't necessary because of the design changes made to the remote.

"With the changes we've made to the Siri Remote - including making it a bit thicker so it won't fall in your couch cushions as much - that need to have all these other network devices find it seems a bit lower," he said.

The redesigned remote also nixes both the accelerometer and the gyroscope, meaning that it can't be used as a game controller. Twerdahl says that's because Apple believes "a dedicated game controller is the best experience" for users wanting to play a game. Apple initially required all Apple TV games to support the Siri Remote, but that policy has since been changed.

As far as other new features on the remote, Twerdahl said they were a result of how people are using the device.

"We recognize that because a lot of people were moving to the Apple TV as the one box they have, having one remote that did it all in terms of powering up and down your system, would be important, so we wanted to add that as well," he said.

The remote, then, was designed to be comfortable to customers who are used to five-way controls or other traditional remote control setups.

"We knew that there was a lot of power in the swiping, but we thought that maybe something that delivered on the best of both worlds was a great way to enhance the experience of customers," he said.

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entropys

He also covered the redesigned Siri Remote. Although some rumors suggested that Apple would add Find My support for the accessory, Twerdahl says that wasn't necessary because of the design changes made to the remote.
"With the changes we've made to the Siri Remote - including making it a bit thicker so it won't fall in your couch cushions as much - that need to have all these other network devices find it seems a bit lower," he said.
The redesigned remote also nixes both the accelerometer and the gyroscope, meaning that it can't be used as a game controller. Twerdahl says that's because Apple believes "a dedicated game controller is the best experience" for users wanting to play a game. Apple initially required all Apple TV games to support the Siri Remote, but that policy has since been changed.

In non marketing crafted language that means: we had a margin target and to achieve it we had to ditch bits. Note there is no Apple game controller to substitute (probably a good thing tbh).

the improved capabilities are all related to the inclusion of HDMI 2.1. Which was compulsory, it would have been a market failure without that.

entropys

With the changes we've made to the Siri Remote - including making it a bit thicker so it won't fall in your couch cushions as much - that need to have all these other network devices find it seems a bit lower," he said.

In fact the marketing team that fed this dude this incredibly stupid line, no doubt after the fact it was causing criticism at launch, should be taken out the back for a taste of the lash. 

Won’t fall between the cushions! What bullshit!

The sad thing is the non inclusion of tracking in the remote should not be a deal breaker, it would always be somewhere near the TV, let’s face it. It’s the workshopped bullshit I find offensive.

ireland

Summary: a future Apple sound bar product may fill the void left by the discontinued HomePod. AKA Apple TV Pro/HomePod TV.

The stars are aligning where Apple eventually makes a TV. Perhaps they will make a sound bar first. Could be waiting for display tech to iron itself out. Who knows, they may be waiting until micro LED display tech is a thing (micro, not mini) before marketing and selling an own-branded TV.

Either way I think the missing piece of the puzzle for Apple is a first party gaming controller and AAA quality gaming. Gaming for Apple has always been an afterthought, culturally Apple both never understood gaming nor took it serious. I’m not a gamer myself but it’s clear it’s the piece of the puzzle in the living room where Apple lacks the most.

entropys

Features required for a perfect Apple soundbar

Sound quality of a Sonos Arc
Audio pass through
Dolby atmos
spacial audio
bluetooth 5.2
wifi
airplay 2
detachable power cord
more than one hdmi 2.1 port.
homekit hub
built in ATV
ATV remote
usb-c port for memory stick or external drive connection (yeah, dream on)
Optional extras: Wireless rear speakers and subwoofer

Possibly add a FaceTime camera for a gimmick. Need some software trickery to make the picture not look like it is looking up peoples’ noses.

this would of course, cost more than $1000.

CheeseFreeze

Apple in their defense not putting a U1 chip in something you lose all the time:
”you don’t need Find My for your remote because it’s thicker now”.

Me:
“Nice! Now I don't have to buy an AirTag for my backpack because it's sooo much thicker than an TV remote!”

canukstorm

ireland said:

Summary: a future Apple sound bar product may fill the void left by the discontinued HomePod. AKA Apple TV Pro/HomePod TV.

The stars are aligning where Apple eventually makes a TV. Perhaps they will make a sound bar first. Could be waiting for display tech to iron itself out. Who knows, they may be waiting until micro LED display tech is a thing (micro, not mini) before marketing and selling an own-branded TV.

Either way I think the missing piece of the puzzle for Apple is a first party gaming controller and AAA quality gaming. Gaming for Apple has always been an afterthought, culturally Apple both never understood gaming nor took it serious. I’m not a gamer myself but it’s clear it’s the piece of the puzzle in the living room where Apple lacks the most.

That's rumored for this Fall.  Keep an eye out.

gilly33

So what about those of us however small that use the Siri remote to play games like tennis or golf? What suddenly made keeping the gyroscope and accelerometer unnecessary. 

entropys

On reflection, and offensively stupid lines from Marketing aside, this entirely silly brouhaha reminds me of a line in MisterBG’s classic Apple Product Cycle:

A minor, rarely occurring flaw in the device begins to be discussed in the Apple support forums. Whiny, artistic types post lengthy diatribes about how this terrible design flaw has made the device unusable and scarred them emotionally. Electronic petitions are created demanding that Apple replace the devices for free, plus pay for counseling to help traumatized users overcome their emotional distress.

I suspect I might resemble this remark.

genovelle

gilly33 said:

So what about those of us however small that use the Siri remote to play games like tennis or golf? What suddenly made keeping the gyroscope and accelerometer unnecessary. 

The old remote still works and there is only so room

elijahg

gilly33 said:

So what about those of us however small that use the Siri remote to play games like tennis or golf? What suddenly made keeping the gyroscope and accelerometer unnecessary. 

The dumbest thing to add to this is that the PS4 DualShock controller has an accelerometer and gyro in it, but tvOS ignores it. I have no idea what is going on at Apple, but it concerns me.

DoctorQ

ireland said:

The stars are aligning where Apple eventually makes a TV.

Nice to meet you, Mr. Munster…

StrangeDays

entropys said:

He also covered the redesigned Siri Remote. Although some rumors suggested that Apple would add Find My support for the accessory, Twerdahl says that wasn't necessary because of the design changes made to the remote.
"With the changes we've made to the Siri Remote - including making it a bit thicker so it won't fall in your couch cushions as much - that need to have all these other network devices find it seems a bit lower," he said.
The redesigned remote also nixes both the accelerometer and the gyroscope, meaning that it can't be used as a game controller. Twerdahl says that's because Apple believes "a dedicated game controller is the best experience" for users wanting to play a game. Apple initially required all Apple TV games to support the Siri Remote, but that policy has since been changed.

In non marketing crafted language that means: we had a margin target and to achieve it we had to ditch bits. Note there is no Apple game controller to substitute (probably a good thing tbh).

Nonsense. Apple doesn’t need to recreate the game controller any more than it needs to recreate the printer — just buy one of the many options and start playing. 

I honestly dont get the fauxrage about not having the remote in Find My — how hard is it to lift up the seat cushions? It’s not like you’re going to be driving across town trying to find your TV remote.

StrangeDays

entropys said:

With the changes we've made to the Siri Remote - including making it a bit thicker so it won't fall in your couch cushions as much - that need to have all these other network devices find it seems a bit lower," he said.

In fact the marketing team that fed this dude this incredibly stupid line, no doubt after the fact it was causing criticism at launch, should be taken out the back for a taste of the lash. 

Won’t fall between the cushions! What bullshit!

The sad thing is the non inclusion of tracking in the remote should not be a deal breaker, it would always be somewhere near the TV, let’s face it. It’s the workshopped bullshit I find offensive.

That’s in your head, man. How many Apple events do you have to watch before you figure out that it’s the actual product teams who demo and explain this stuff, not marketing droids?

StrangeDays

Because there’s only 3 of you. Sorry.

entropys

StrangeDays said:

entropys said:

With the changes we've made to the Siri Remote - including making it a bit thicker so it won't fall in your couch cushions as much - that need to have all these other network devices find it seems a bit lower," he said.

In fact the marketing team that fed this dude this incredibly stupid line, no doubt after the fact it was causing criticism at launch, should be taken out the back for a taste of the lash. 

Won’t fall between the cushions! What bullshit!

The sad thing is the non inclusion of tracking in the remote should not be a deal breaker, it would always be somewhere near the TV, let’s face it. It’s the workshopped bullshit I find offensive.

That’s in your head, man. How many Apple events do you have to watch before you figure out that it’s the actual product teams who demo and explain this stuff, not marketing droids?

If Apple is anything, it is carefully curated public statements.

fastasleep

ireland said:

The stars are aligning where Apple eventually makes a TV. Perhaps they will make a sound bar first. Could be waiting for display tech to iron itself out. Who knows, they may be waiting until micro LED display tech is a thing (micro, not mini) before marketing and selling an own-branded TV.

There will have to be a paradigm shift in costs in display technology, real world benefit to users buying an Apple-branded TV versus a $150 box to plug into any existing high quality TV, and Apple’s ability to still maintain a 36% profit margin for this to make any sense. I just don’t see the point. 

elijahg

StrangeDays said:

entropys said:

With the changes we've made to the Siri Remote - including making it a bit thicker so it won't fall in your couch cushions as much - that need to have all these other network devices find it seems a bit lower," he said.

In fact the marketing team that fed this dude this incredibly stupid line, no doubt after the fact it was causing criticism at launch, should be taken out the back for a taste of the lash. 

Won’t fall between the cushions! What bullshit!

The sad thing is the non inclusion of tracking in the remote should not be a deal breaker, it would always be somewhere near the TV, let’s face it. It’s the workshopped bullshit I find offensive.

That’s in your head, man. How many Apple events do you have to watch before you figure out that it’s the actual product teams who demo and explain this stuff, not marketing droids?

Except Twerdahl is VP of marketing. Head droid. Oopsie.

lkrupp

gilly33 said:

So what about those of us however small that use the Siri remote to play games like tennis or golf? What suddenly made keeping the gyroscope and accelerometer unnecessary. 

As Mr. Spock said in Wrath of Kahn, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few... or the one.” Then he died. Or so we thought.

elijahg

StrangeDays said:

entropys said:

He also covered the redesigned Siri Remote. Although some rumors suggested that Apple would add Find My support for the accessory, Twerdahl says that wasn't necessary because of the design changes made to the remote.
"With the changes we've made to the Siri Remote - including making it a bit thicker so it won't fall in your couch cushions as much - that need to have all these other network devices find it seems a bit lower," he said.
The redesigned remote also nixes both the accelerometer and the gyroscope, meaning that it can't be used as a game controller. Twerdahl says that's because Apple believes "a dedicated game controller is the best experience" for users wanting to play a game. Apple initially required all Apple TV games to support the Siri Remote, but that policy has since been changed.

In non marketing crafted language that means: we had a margin target and to achieve it we had to ditch bits. Note there is no Apple game controller to substitute (probably a good thing tbh).

Nonsense. Apple doesn’t need to recreate the game controller any more than it needs to recreate the printer — just buy one of the many options and start playing. 

Like it didn't need to recreate the remote (any old remote would have been fine surely) or recreate the smartphone, or recreate the tablet, MP3 player, watch? Should have just bought one of the many non-Apple options and put up with it.

[Deleted User]

entropys said:

With the changes we've made to the Siri Remote - including making it a bit thicker so it won't fall in your couch cushions as much - that need to have all these other network devices find it seems a bit lower," he said.

In fact the marketing team that fed this dude this incredibly stupid line, no doubt after the fact it was causing criticism at launch, should be taken out the back for a taste of the lash. 

Won’t fall between the cushions! What bullshit!

The sad thing is the non inclusion of tracking in the remote should not be a deal breaker, it would always be somewhere near the TV, let’s face it. It’s the workshopped bullshit I find offensive.

Offensive? How delightfully wonderful your life must be that this rises to the level of offense.