You'll change your mind when you see the Netflix app.
we didnt.
It iThe horizontal layout of alpha characters is a pain to navigate
until you realize that a faster swipe moves you across the line faster. im getting pretty speedy with it now. i certainly dont think the previous gen was some sort of davinci...text entry always sucked on the device.
cite your claim please -- because i think youre just making that up.
works for me.
simple, its great for what it does -- search for content in apps that have implemented it, and for navigating during viewing ("what'd he say?" "go back 20 seconds", "subtitles", etc). that it doesnt cure cancer doesnt make it not great at its job.
nonsense. techies do, but not most people.
patently false. do you actually own one?
i agree with that.
thats absurd and not the ATV's problem, any more than it's microsoft's fault there are crummy windows apps.
Do your own research and read reviews other than AppleInsider. People would not use most of those Siri commands, and yes, Siri's first match was iTunes. How do you know most people do not watch their own library? That was what the box was created for, before additional streaming apps were added. Yes, I owned two and took them both back after three days when I realized the apps were inferior to the prior AppleTV. Maybe you don't pay for Netflix but the Netflix on AppleTV3 is far superior than the SmartTV version in AppleTV4. Sorry you don't realize that. But the App developers should follow the AppleTV UI, but now they no longer have to do that. Siri and the App Store are not worth the high price for the new box. But if you like it, then great. Don't slam someone's opinion when they are valid points. If you are happy with the changes, then great. But don't start claiming things are false when they are actually true. People will expect the same apps and UI, and that is no longer true.
what about Jobs releasing the ipod socks? also troubling?
Well, there's a lot behind my comment that's a little difficult to explain. Living through the chaos of Apple in the 90's while being a staunch fanboy was painful. When Steve Jobs came back and simplified the product line, cut the fat, and started innovating again, it obviously reversed the downward spiral Apple was in.
In my 20 years using Apple products, this past year has been met with both incredible products but also shortcomings in quality of their software (mostly OS X) that has made me feel like the Steve Jobs era which brought unity through vision is now fading. This "feeling" may be extremely subtle to some or non-existent to most but, for the first time in almost 20 years, it's there for me.
I think Apple is still an incredibly innovative company and it appears they have some big things planned for the next 5-10 years but the here-and-now products need laser-focused quality control and functionality (one big one for me, that I struggle with every day at work, is the Finder – it has gotten worse over the years, not better). Hopefully Apple will learn to put innovation and quality of both hardware AND software above marketing and corporate needs.
I understand you do not have a SmartTV. The point I was making was that people chose the AppleTV because the app UI was far superior compared to the apps in a SmartTV, Blu-Ray, or other streaming box. Netflix in the AppleTV2/3 was so much better than the version in a TV or other streaming box. It was easy to navigate, select what you want, and search or browse specific genres. That is what made the AppleTV stand out. The new AppleTV loses all that.
Respectfully, I feel like those are subjective rationalizations. Are they popular opinion? As you challenged NolaMacGuy to do, I will have to do some more research to definitively answer that. I am definitely still going to buy an ? TV and see for myself, but with your concerns in mind, I will be less fanboyish over it and try to be as informed a consumer as I can be. Hopefully while still enjoying it.
So after using my new ? TV for the last 20 minutes or so, I've found that using Netflix or other video players can be used directly from my MacBook Air, iPad or iPhone and then can be displayed on my tv using AirPlay. Any UI concerns can be averted using these devices with preferred text entering for searches, etc. So far loving it!
Well, there's a lot behind my comment that's a little difficult to explain. Living through the chaos of Apple in the 90's while being a staunch fanboy was painful. When Steve Jobs came back and simplified the product line, cut the fat, and started innovating again, it obviously reversed the downward spiral Apple was in.
In my 20 years using Apple products, this past year has been met with both incredible products but also shortcomings in quality of their software (mostly OS X) that has made me feel like the Steve Jobs era which brought unity through vision is now fading. This "feeling" may be extremely subtle to some or non-existent to most but, for the first time in almost 20 years, it's there for me.
I think Apple is still an incredibly innovative company and it appears they have some big things planned for the next 5-10 years but the here-and-now products need laser-focused quality control and functionality (one big one for me, that I struggle with every day at work, is the Finder – it has gotten worse over the years, not better). Hopefully Apple will learn to put innovation and quality of both hardware AND software above marketing and corporate needs.
I have to admit I agree with you. I certainly don't mind the current state of my AAPL stock, but the post-Steve era is looking more and more like there is no longer a person paying attention to the tiniest of details at Apple the way Jobs fretted over everything.
Not ready for prime time,lol. The first gen iPhone was far from perfect. The difference with Apple is you can be confident they are constantly working to make it better. Apple Music has lots of problems too but a few versions in and it will be much better I'm sure.
The AppleTV2 and AppleTV3 were already running iOS with a different UI. tvOS is a silly name and all it adds is an app store.
tvOS doesn't have WebKit and does have a focus-base UI unlike iOS. They are very close, but you can't directly port from one to another without reworking the user interface.
For those requesting a source of the difference between apps on the AppleTV3 and AppleTV4, here you go. Explains in detail the flaws in the Netflix app compared to the AppleTV3 version. You cannot search or browse genres or specific categories in the new Netflix app, and your list has been reduced from 14 items on one page to only 4 items. How can anyone think this is a better app?
Here is another review explaining the inaccuracies with Siri. 'Play the Clash' gave him Sesame Street results instead of finding music from The Clash. No matter what he said, Siri refused to find Game of Thrones on HBO. Apple really pushed how Siri was integrated with the HBO app. Most Siri results for me found items to buy in iTunes rather than free streaming on Netflix.
So after using my new ? TV for the last 20 minutes or so, I've found that using Netflix or other video players can be used directly from my MacBook Air, iPad or iPhone and then can be displayed on my tv using AirPlay. Any UI concerns can be averted using these devices with preferred text entering for searches, etc. So far loving it!
The purpose of the AppleTV is so you do not have to use your MacBook Air, iPad, or iPhone to find things to watch, or to use that device to AirPlay the video to the AppleTV. If that is your desired solution for using an AppleTV4, then that confirms the apps in the AppleTV3 were superior to the AppleTV4. I never had to use the apps or web-versions on a Mac or iOS device to find something I wanted to watch on AppleTV.
Do your own research and read reviews other than AppleInsider. People would not use most of those Siri commands, and yes, Siri's first match was iTunes. How do you know most people do not watch their own library? That was what the box was created for, before additional streaming apps were added. Yes, I owned two and took them both back after three days when I realized the apps were inferior to the prior AppleTV. Maybe you don't pay for Netflix but the Netflix on AppleTV3 is far superior than the SmartTV version in AppleTV4. Sorry you don't realize that. But the App developers should follow the AppleTV UI, but now they no longer have to do that. Siri and the App Store are not worth the high price for the new box. But if you like it, then great. Don't slam someone's opinion when they are valid points. If you are happy with the changes, then great. But don't start claiming things are false when they are actually true. People will expect the same apps and UI, and that is no longer true.
apple isnt responsible for third party apps. dont like Netflix on atv4? go bark up a netflix forum.
im not denying siri returns itunes results, im denying your claim that thats all it does. nonsense. it will return results from whichever apps have implemented it (only a few at launch date), and it will prefer FREE results. this is fact. you cant argue around FACT.
most ATV customers didnt own ATV1, and dont have local libraries. only techies do. people like my folks wouldnt even know what a local library is. if you cant admit this, you dont understand the world and your place in it yet.
I have to admit I agree with you. I certainly don't mind the current state of my AAPL stock, but the post-Steve era is looking more and more like there is no longer a person paying attention to the tiniest of details at Apple the way Jobs fretted over everything.
no bugs under Jobs, eh? yeah, i dont think thats actually true.
apple isnt responsible for third party apps. dont like Netflix on atv4? go bark up a netflix forum.
im not denying siri returns itunes results, im denying your claim that thats all it does. nonsense. it will return results from whichever apps have implemented it (only a few at launch date), and it will prefer FREE results. this is fact. you cant argue around FACT.
most ATV customers didnt own ATV1, and dont have local libraries. only techies do. people like my folks wouldnt even know what a local library is. if you cant admit this, you dont understand the world and your place in it yet.
You are quite bold in your accusations. The third-party apps should follow the AppleTV UI to be consistent. Read this article and you can understand the features that are missing in the new apps. The prior AppleTV versions with Netflix have more features. SmartTV versions of Netflix now offer more search and browse capabilities than the version in AppleTV4. How can you admit the crippled version of the third party apps is an improvement? Apple should have advised the developers to follow the AppleTV UI, as they did with previous versions.
The fact that Siri does not support many apps proves that it doesn't do much, unless you like to buy things off iTunes. It often gets things wrong. It could not even find Game of Thrones on HBO, and Apple claimed Siri could search HBO. Most people with an AppleTV actually do have a local library, since the very first AppleTV was designed to watch your local content. I don't know where you get this idea that only tech people have local libraries. You assume everyone is stupid? People have been using Handbrake for years to rip their DVDs into their computer so they can watch them through AppleTV for convenience. Many people have large music, photo, and movie collections they watch through AppleTV. Maybe you are not old enough to have a large digital library, but it is not that hard to show someone how to use Handbrake to rip DVDs. So your blanket statement that most people do not have local digital content is flat out wrong. Browse other sites and read comments. The number one question people ask is if they can still access their local content through Home Sharing, and if Siri can search your local content. The first answer is yes, the second answer is no. By the way, when I returned my AppleTV4s (yes, I bought two of them), there was a nice stack of AppleTVs on the Apple Store counter from other people returning them for the same reason.
So I have never had an ? TV before, so maybe I don't know any better, but I have been loving the hell out of it. Everything... The games, apps and AirPlay has been just awesome.
I would like to recommend some amazing software to anyone who needs to stream several types of content not supported by QuickTime: AirParrot 2.0. It's $14.99 here in Canada and it allows absolutely anything you throw at it - MP4, mkv, subtitle files (my in-laws are both deaf, so this was a big deal for us), or the entire screen to AirPlay absolutely flawlessly. And with full remote support. Honestly, it's been terrific and everything looks perfect. I used to physically connect my mid-2012 MacBook Air to my hdtv with an hdmi cord. I found QuickTime somewhat limited with AirPlay, but now with AirParrot it's even way more convenient to access my content than before I had my ? TV (wow, did I sound like a commercial there?). I really feel like they deserve some good word of mouth. They did a great job.
Comments
we didnt.
until you realize that a faster swipe moves you across the line faster. im getting pretty speedy with it now. i certainly dont think the previous gen was some sort of davinci...text entry always sucked on the device.
are you...concerned?
what about Jobs releasing the ipod socks? also troubling?
cite your claim please -- because i think youre just making that up.
works for me.
simple, its great for what it does -- search for content in apps that have implemented it, and for navigating during viewing ("what'd he say?" "go back 20 seconds", "subtitles", etc). that it doesnt cure cancer doesnt make it not great at its job.
nonsense. techies do, but not most people.
patently false. do you actually own one?
i agree with that.
thats absurd and not the ATV's problem, any more than it's microsoft's fault there are crummy windows apps.
Do your own research and read reviews other than AppleInsider. People would not use most of those Siri commands, and yes, Siri's first match was iTunes. How do you know most people do not watch their own library? That was what the box was created for, before additional streaming apps were added. Yes, I owned two and took them both back after three days when I realized the apps were inferior to the prior AppleTV. Maybe you don't pay for Netflix but the Netflix on AppleTV3 is far superior than the SmartTV version in AppleTV4. Sorry you don't realize that. But the App developers should follow the AppleTV UI, but now they no longer have to do that. Siri and the App Store are not worth the high price for the new box. But if you like it, then great. Don't slam someone's opinion when they are valid points. If you are happy with the changes, then great. But don't start claiming things are false when they are actually true. People will expect the same apps and UI, and that is no longer true.
are you...concerned?
what about Jobs releasing the ipod socks? also troubling?
Well, there's a lot behind my comment that's a little difficult to explain. Living through the chaos of Apple in the 90's while being a staunch fanboy was painful. When Steve Jobs came back and simplified the product line, cut the fat, and started innovating again, it obviously reversed the downward spiral Apple was in.
In my 20 years using Apple products, this past year has been met with both incredible products but also shortcomings in quality of their software (mostly OS X) that has made me feel like the Steve Jobs era which brought unity through vision is now fading. This "feeling" may be extremely subtle to some or non-existent to most but, for the first time in almost 20 years, it's there for me.
I think Apple is still an incredibly innovative company and it appears they have some big things planned for the next 5-10 years but the here-and-now products need laser-focused quality control and functionality (one big one for me, that I struggle with every day at work, is the Finder – it has gotten worse over the years, not better). Hopefully Apple will learn to put innovation and quality of both hardware AND software above marketing and corporate needs.
Respectfully, I feel like those are subjective rationalizations. Are they popular opinion? As you challenged NolaMacGuy to do, I will have to do some more research to definitively answer that. I am definitely still going to buy an ? TV and see for myself, but with your concerns in mind, I will be less fanboyish over it and try to be as informed a consumer as I can be. Hopefully while still enjoying it.
I have to admit I agree with you. I certainly don't mind the current state of my AAPL stock, but the post-Steve era is looking more and more like there is no longer a person paying attention to the tiniest of details at Apple the way Jobs fretted over everything.
The AppleTV2 and AppleTV3 were already running iOS with a different UI. tvOS is a silly name and all it adds is an app store.
tvOS doesn't have WebKit and does have a focus-base UI unlike iOS. They are very close, but you can't directly port from one to another without reworking the user interface.
For those requesting a source of the difference between apps on the AppleTV3 and AppleTV4, here you go. Explains in detail the flaws in the Netflix app compared to the AppleTV3 version. You cannot search or browse genres or specific categories in the new Netflix app, and your list has been reduced from 14 items on one page to only 4 items. How can anyone think this is a better app?
http://************/2015/11/06/opinion-classic-apple-tv-app-usability-issues/
Here is another review explaining the inaccuracies with Siri. 'Play the Clash' gave him Sesame Street results instead of finding music from The Clash. No matter what he said, Siri refused to find Game of Thrones on HBO. Apple really pushed how Siri was integrated with the HBO app. Most Siri results for me found items to buy in iTunes rather than free streaming on Netflix.
http://www.cultofmac.com/393941/4th-generation-apple-tv-review/
So after using my new ? TV for the last 20 minutes or so, I've found that using Netflix or other video players can be used directly from my MacBook Air, iPad or iPhone and then can be displayed on my tv using AirPlay. Any UI concerns can be averted using these devices with preferred text entering for searches, etc. So far loving it!
The purpose of the AppleTV is so you do not have to use your MacBook Air, iPad, or iPhone to find things to watch, or to use that device to AirPlay the video to the AppleTV. If that is your desired solution for using an AppleTV4, then that confirms the apps in the AppleTV3 were superior to the AppleTV4. I never had to use the apps or web-versions on a Mac or iOS device to find something I wanted to watch on AppleTV.
apple isnt responsible for third party apps. dont like Netflix on atv4? go bark up a netflix forum.
im not denying siri returns itunes results, im denying your claim that thats all it does. nonsense. it will return results from whichever apps have implemented it (only a few at launch date), and it will prefer FREE results. this is fact. you cant argue around FACT.
most ATV customers didnt own ATV1, and dont have local libraries. only techies do. people like my folks wouldnt even know what a local library is. if you cant admit this, you dont understand the world and your place in it yet.
no bugs under Jobs, eh? yeah, i dont think thats actually true.
apple isnt responsible for third party apps. dont like Netflix on atv4? go bark up a netflix forum.
im not denying siri returns itunes results, im denying your claim that thats all it does. nonsense. it will return results from whichever apps have implemented it (only a few at launch date), and it will prefer FREE results. this is fact. you cant argue around FACT.
most ATV customers didnt own ATV1, and dont have local libraries. only techies do. people like my folks wouldnt even know what a local library is. if you cant admit this, you dont understand the world and your place in it yet.
You are quite bold in your accusations. The third-party apps should follow the AppleTV UI to be consistent. Read this article and you can understand the features that are missing in the new apps. The prior AppleTV versions with Netflix have more features. SmartTV versions of Netflix now offer more search and browse capabilities than the version in AppleTV4. How can you admit the crippled version of the third party apps is an improvement? Apple should have advised the developers to follow the AppleTV UI, as they did with previous versions.
http://************/2015/11/06/opinion-classic-apple-tv-app-usability-issues/
The fact that Siri does not support many apps proves that it doesn't do much, unless you like to buy things off iTunes. It often gets things wrong. It could not even find Game of Thrones on HBO, and Apple claimed Siri could search HBO. Most people with an AppleTV actually do have a local library, since the very first AppleTV was designed to watch your local content. I don't know where you get this idea that only tech people have local libraries. You assume everyone is stupid? People have been using Handbrake for years to rip their DVDs into their computer so they can watch them through AppleTV for convenience. Many people have large music, photo, and movie collections they watch through AppleTV. Maybe you are not old enough to have a large digital library, but it is not that hard to show someone how to use Handbrake to rip DVDs. So your blanket statement that most people do not have local digital content is flat out wrong. Browse other sites and read comments. The number one question people ask is if they can still access their local content through Home Sharing, and if Siri can search your local content. The first answer is yes, the second answer is no. By the way, when I returned my AppleTV4s (yes, I bought two of them), there was a nice stack of AppleTVs on the Apple Store counter from other people returning them for the same reason.
I would like to recommend some amazing software to anyone who needs to stream several types of content not supported by QuickTime: AirParrot 2.0. It's $14.99 here in Canada and it allows absolutely anything you throw at it - MP4, mkv, subtitle files (my in-laws are both deaf, so this was a big deal for us), or the entire screen to AirPlay absolutely flawlessly. And with full remote support. Honestly, it's been terrific and everything looks perfect. I used to physically connect my mid-2012 MacBook Air to my hdtv with an hdmi cord. I found QuickTime somewhat limited with AirPlay, but now with AirParrot it's even way more convenient to access my content than before I had my ? TV (wow, did I sound like a commercial there?). I really feel like they deserve some good word of mouth. They did a great job.