It seems to me that Apple needs to either go big or go home.
Running Arcade Games isn't going to cut it. They need to be able to run the big hitters. All of them.
Adding a sound bar improves sound but still cannot compete with a home theater setup.
But, Apple's shift to ARM based processor in its Mac line could offer the path to high end gaming from the Apple TV
And, a sound bar could form the foundation of a wireless home theater system where one could add subwoofer, front speakers, rear speakers, overheard speakers, etc...
And, adding a WiFi router could integrate the whole house into one.
I hope Apple will bring back the Airport, and I would like it to be a modem/router. At home, its the gateway to the internet, and an extremely important link in the chain.
I had been long hoping Apple would do this too. Really, I wished Apple had never cancelled the Airports.
However, over the last 8 months or so I have replaced my (4) Airports with newer WiFi-6 access points and even if Apple were to restart this product line, they have lost me as a customer for this type of product... at least until I replace the new units which might be in a decade.
For my own purposes, the router idea would be welcome. The sound bar would be a disincentive, as I don’t need to replace home theater speakers with a sound bar.
From Apple’s standpoint, any of the combo device options are problematic. If customers don’t want to replace the other part of the combo device, they won’t buy the AppleTV. I don’t need a sound bar. Someone else won’t need a router. The next generation Apple TV will be a discreet device with amped up gaming capabilities.
It would be nice if Apple would re-enter the router market, though. Airports are straining to keep up with lots of HomeKit devices. It looks like Amazon’s eero is not keeping HomeKit support in their newest model, so people who want that, wireless time machine backups, WiFi 6 and mesh networking don’t have a lot of options. Until ISPs remove data caps and stop limiting upload speeds, cloud backups of macs and MacBooks won’t be a thing. So there remains a gaping hole with the absence of an Airport/time capsule replacement.
Tired of repeating it but here’s my 3 year old list:
TrueDepth Camera system for FaceID, Animoji Karaoke, FaceTime, Gaming, Yoga, Fitness, AR clothing etc. Will open a whole new world of apps.
M1 processor or even M1X for gaming. Seems Apple doesn’t care about high end gaming though as Apple Arcade has a performance gap. *FACEPALM*
Revamped OS. Possibly incentives to support Apple TV App. (Get Netflix and everyone else on board). Advertise iTunes. (Seriously they are ignoring the biggest video library in the world????)
Redesigned Siri controller with 3D Touch and Taptic Engine. Could even be “button-less” and work in any orientation. Would work great for fast forwarding, gaming, motor training, health research etc.
“Wireless” charging for Siri remote. Could use any wireless charger. Could allow the top of the Apple TV to charge it(though I think this idea is too novel).
Latest motion processor in Siri remote. For exercise apps, gaming, yoga, training, health research etc.
Open the lightning port to 3rd party accessories. This one is strange I know, but will open the door to a new industry of 3rd party hardware for Apple. It’s even a little too abstract to me but there’s some creative people out there. Think the old Wii 3rd-party accessories.
64GB and 256GB versions with iCloud game saves. 64GB for the “casual” user who doesn’t want to download games. 256GB for the gamer and heavy AR user.
Sounds expensive? Considering 3.5 years have passed since the last update I’m sure Apple can get component pricing to $179 for the base model and $299 for the gaming model. I’m wondering if the base model should have an A14 chip instead but I think fragmentation is terrible.
Would love to see them go after the high end -- on the hardware side, the soundbar with exceptional spatial sound, on the gaming side, the latest Apple Silicon and combine this with an investment in 2-3 "must have" games. Think about the huge budget they used on TV+ original content and not worrying about an immediate payout. Some high end cinematic quality games would draw people to the platform.
I have played several Apple Arcade games on my 4K model - it's good, but a newer processor would be killer.
These are GREAT ideas and you would think would be common sense but Apple DOESN’T GIVE A FU**. As it stands today, if Apple were to release an A14 or even M1X Apple TV, you wouldn’t see a difference in Arcade games because Apple has a performance cap on Apple Arcade and even 3rd party games. This is to support as old devices as possible. I believe games have to support iPhone 6S which is freaking ridiculous for developers.
This may be the reason we don’t see half-decent games on Apple TV right now which is more capable than a Nintendo Switch.
But look how great and vast Nintendo Switch games are:
THIS is running on INFERIOR, older hardware with 3rd party chips!! Plus the game is about a year old already.
At this point Apple needs to bring it’s A-game if it wants to compete with the PS5, upcoming Xbox and Nintendo console. iPhone 6s-compatible Apple Arcade games aren’t gonna convince anyone new.
I wish Apple would produce a Apple TV based or Airport based HomeKit hub. It could be a center piece with music similar to Amazon’s Alexa. Apple could easily monetize it with a HomeKit/“skills” AppStore for developers. I’m looking forward to a strong home automation product from Apple.
For my own purposes, the router idea would be welcome. The sound bar would be a disincentive, as I don’t need to replace home theater speakers with a sound bar.
From Apple’s standpoint, any of the combo device options are problematic. If customers don’t want to replace the other part of the combo device, they won’t buy the AppleTV. I don’t need a sound bar. Someone else won’t need a router. The next generation Apple TV will be a discreet device with amped up gaming capabilities.
It would be nice if Apple would re-enter the router market, though. Airports are straining to keep up with lots of HomeKit devices. It looks like Amazon’s eero is not keeping HomeKit support in their newest model, so people who want that, wireless time machine backups, WiFi 6 and mesh networking don’t have a lot of options. Until ISPs remove data caps and stop limiting upload speeds, cloud backups of macs and MacBooks won’t be a thing. So there remains a gaping hole with the absence of an Airport/time capsule replacement.
A sound bar enclosure into which you plugged the HomePod, Airport, Airport+Storage, TV, TVX stick into the 2 or 3 available slots would solve the product fragmentation issue whilst preserving Apple’s famous product integrity.
Tired of repeating it but here’s my 3 year old list:
TrueDepth Camera system for FaceID, Animoji Karaoke, FaceTime, Gaming, Yoga, Fitness, AR clothing etc. Will open a whole new world of apps.
M1 processor or even M1X for gaming. Seems Apple doesn’t care about high end gaming though as Apple Arcade has a performance gap. *FACEPALM*
Revamped OS. Possibly incentives to support Apple TV App. (Get Netflix and everyone else on board). Advertise iTunes. (Seriously they are ignoring the biggest video library in the world????)
Redesigned Siri controller with 3D Touch and Taptic Engine. Could even be “button-less” and work in any orientation. Would work great for fast forwarding, gaming, motor training, health research etc.
“Wireless” charging for Siri remote. Could use any wireless charger. Could allow the top of the Apple TV to charge it(though I think this idea is too novel).
Latest motion processor in Siri remote. For exercise apps, gaming, yoga, training, health research etc.
Open the lightning port to 3rd party accessories. This one is strange I know, but will open the door to a new industry of 3rd party hardware for Apple. It’s even a little too abstract to me but there’s some creative people out there. Think the old Wii 3rd-party accessories.
64GB and 256GB versions with iCloud game saves. 64GB for the “casual” user who doesn’t want to download games. 256GB for the gamer and heavy AR user.
Sounds expensive? Considering 3.5 years have passed since the last update I’m sure Apple can get component pricing to $179 for the base model and $299 for the gaming model. I’m wondering if the base model should have an A14 chip instead but I think fragmentation is terrible.
The storage is an interesting one. Not only could it store Game data but also serve as an always-on Cloud Drive/Service accelerator for all your devices (solving the only downside of cloud drives/libraries).
If Apple wants to make a fundamental improvement, add a Thunderbolt/USB port for adding an external camera.
Just put a bloody USB port on it already ! This is on my wish list since Gen 2 ( I had a Gen 1). It would cost close to nothing to bring much more functionality. A port for a camera is fine but all I would want it for is an external drive to play an entire library of digital movies. I live in the woods with slow internet so streaming is always sketchy. Things most of you with hi speed can take for granted are difficult here. Just playing a playlist coming from the cloud rather than locally is a silly concept and hit or miss with some lag, and then you can forget about photos from Photos. Steve Jobs said while introducing Gen 2 that the people don't want so sync anymore (from iTunes), but he wasn't thinking of us with slow speed.
Since HomePod was migrated to tvOS from iOS in April 2020, that amount of work suggests to me that HomePod is not going to be a disappearing product. In fact, it was probably ported to tvOS for a reason. That reason could be a merger between HomePod and Apple TV. But I can't see each standalone speaker containing an Apple TV-class processor. Apple has made a $5000 display, so perhaps it will will make a "similarly" high priced speaker (or speaker set) to go with it, which will contain the hardware features of the current Apple TV. Perhaps called "HomePod HDR." (HDR is more commonly used in audio than XDR.)
If Apple wants to make a fundamental improvement, add a Thunderbolt/USB port for adding an external camera.
Just put a bloody USB port on it already ! This is on my wish list since Gen 2 ( I had a Gen 1). It would cost close to nothing to bring much more functionality. A port for a camera is fine but all I would want it for is an external drive to play an entire library of digital movies. I live in the woods with slow internet so streaming is always sketchy. Things most of you with hi speed can take for granted are difficult here. Just playing a playlist coming from the cloud rather than locally is a silly concept and hit or miss with some lag, and then you can forget about photos from Photos. Steve Jobs said while introducing Gen 2 that the people don't want so sync anymore (from iTunes), but he wasn't thinking of us with slow speed.
I went from 1st generation to 4th and now 5th. I do (essentially) zero streaming as, for a variety of reasons, I am not a fan of it. Instead, I have a Plex server with a substantial amount of storage. On it I have my music and video files. My internet connection can go down and everything is still available to me. You might want to consider something like this as well.
Apple is a forward-thinking company. They embrace the future, not the past. The future is online. Apple will not likely cater to the 1% of you who lack a decent online connection.
Even if you live in a place with no high speed internet via landlines or cell towers, Musk's Starlink is now being deployed, and it costs less per month than what I'm currently paying for my high speed internet. And the first Starlink customers in Canada are getting 400 Mbps download speeds for about US$99/month. That's the same speed as typical fiber internet. So I can't see Apple catering to people who refuse to get online.
Tired of repeating it but here’s my 3 year old list:
TrueDepth Camera system for FaceID, Animoji Karaoke, FaceTime, Gaming, Yoga, Fitness, AR clothing etc. Will open a whole new world of apps.
M1 processor or even M1X for gaming. Seems Apple doesn’t care about high end gaming though as Apple Arcade has a performance gap. *FACEPALM*
Revamped OS. Possibly incentives to support Apple TV App. (Get Netflix and everyone else on board). Advertise iTunes. (Seriously they are ignoring the biggest video library in the world????)
Redesigned Siri controller with 3D Touch and Taptic Engine. Could even be “button-less” and work in any orientation. Would work great for fast forwarding, gaming, motor training, health research etc.
“Wireless” charging for Siri remote. Could use any wireless charger. Could allow the top of the Apple TV to charge it(though I think this idea is too novel).
Latest motion processor in Siri remote. For exercise apps, gaming, yoga, training, health research etc.
Open the lightning port to 3rd party accessories. This one is strange I know, but will open the door to a new industry of 3rd party hardware for Apple. It’s even a little too abstract to me but there’s some creative people out there. Think the old Wii 3rd-party accessories.
64GB and 256GB versions with iCloud game saves. 64GB for the “casual” user who doesn’t want to download games. 256GB for the gamer and heavy AR user.
Sounds expensive? Considering 3.5 years have passed since the last update I’m sure Apple can get component pricing to $179 for the base model and $299 for the gaming model. I’m wondering if the base model should have an A14 chip instead but I think fragmentation is terrible.
The storage is an interesting one. Not only could it store Game data but also serve as an always-on Cloud Drive/Service accelerator for all your devices (solving the only downside of cloud drives/libraries).
Sounds interesting but I do not get it. Can you elaborate?
If Apple wants to make a fundamental improvement, add a Thunderbolt/USB port for adding an external camera.
Just put a bloody USB port on it already ! This is on my wish list since Gen 2 ( I had a Gen 1). It would cost close to nothing to bring much more functionality. A port for a camera is fine but all I would want it for is an external drive to play an entire library of digital movies. I live in the woods with slow internet so streaming is always sketchy. Things most of you with hi speed can take for granted are difficult here. Just playing a playlist coming from the cloud rather than locally is a silly concept and hit or miss with some lag, and then you can forget about photos from Photos. Steve Jobs said while introducing Gen 2 that the people don't want so sync anymore (from iTunes), but he wasn't thinking of us with slow speed.
I went from 1st generation to 4th and now 5th. I do (essentially) zero streaming as, for a variety of reasons, I am not a fan of it. Instead, I have a Plex server with a substantial amount of storage. On it I have my music and video files. My internet connection can go down and everything is still available to me. You might want to consider something like this as well.
I'm running an Apple TV, 5 disk DVD and a VCR through my Home stereo to my TV. For me its the best of all worlds.
I do not want to buy any online movies or shows: I don't like to trust any vendor to store stuff I purchased (I'm still looking for some Apple Books I bought that disappeared when Apple Music came along) and I avoid renting as much as possible because I'm cheap and I hate to pay a subscription service(s) and then have to rent too.
I might watch Lord of the Rings tonight -- or maybe an old Madonna concert -- then Young Rock.
If Apple wants to make a fundamental improvement, add a Thunderbolt/USB port for adding an external camera.
Just put a bloody USB port on it already ! This is on my wish list since Gen 2 ( I had a Gen 1). It would cost close to nothing to bring much more functionality. A port for a camera is fine but all I would want it for is an external drive to play an entire library of digital movies. I live in the woods with slow internet so streaming is always sketchy. Things most of you with hi speed can take for granted are difficult here. Just playing a playlist coming from the cloud rather than locally is a silly concept and hit or miss with some lag, and then you can forget about photos from Photos. Steve Jobs said while introducing Gen 2 that the people don't want so sync anymore (from iTunes), but he wasn't thinking of us with slow speed.
I went from 1st generation to 4th and now 5th. I do (essentially) zero streaming as, for a variety of reasons, I am not a fan of it. Instead, I have a Plex server with a substantial amount of storage. On it I have my music and video files. My internet connection can go down and everything is still available to me. You might want to consider something like this as well.
I'm running an Apple TV, 5 disk DVD and a VCR through my Home stereo to my TV. For me its the best of all worlds.
I do not want to buy any online movies or shows: I don't like to trust any vendor to store stuff I purchased (I'm still looking for some Apple Books I bought that disappeared when Apple Music came along) and I avoid renting as much as possible because I'm cheap and I hate to pay a subscription service(s) and then have to rent too.
I might watch Lord of the Rings tonight -- or maybe an old Madonna concert -- then Young Rock.
Before I setup my Plex server I was right there with you! VCR, LaserDisc, DVD (carousel) and Blu-Ray.
I have since divested myself of everything except the Blu-Ray player... and it isn't even hooked up. I have boxes of DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs in the basement, but I don't need to search through those boxes! When I want to watch a movie, I access my Plex server via the AppleTV and hit play. All the benefits of having numerous streaming services with none of the problems... including "purchased" content disappearing from said online service. No thanks to that!
Would love to see them go after the high end -- on the hardware side, the soundbar with exceptional spatial sound, on the gaming side, the latest Apple Silicon and combine this with an investment in 2-3 "must have" games. Think about the huge budget they used on TV+ original content and not worrying about an immediate payout. Some high end cinematic quality games would draw people to the platform.
I have played several Apple Arcade games on my 4K model - it's good, but a newer processor would be killer.
These are GREAT ideas and you would think would be common sense but Apple DOESN’T GIVE A FU**. As it stands today, if Apple were to release an A14 or even M1X Apple TV, you wouldn’t see a difference in Arcade games because Apple has a performance cap on Apple Arcade and even 3rd party games. This is to support as old devices as possible. I believe games have to support iPhone 6S which is freaking ridiculous for developers.
This may be the reason we don’t see half-decent games on Apple TV right now which is more capable than a Nintendo Switch.
But look how great and vast Nintendo Switch games are:
THIS is running on INFERIOR, older hardware with 3rd party chips!! Plus the game is about a year old already.
At this point Apple needs to bring it’s A-game if it wants to compete with the PS5, upcoming Xbox and Nintendo console. iPhone 6s-compatible Apple Arcade games aren’t gonna convince anyone new.
There's no reason there can't be "feature length" games on the AppleTV - even with the 6S restriction (which I agree, is pretty stupid, it's obviously to try and boost Arcade subs, but who with a 6S would even be using Arcade??). Anyway... Arcade doesn't seem to encourage console-quality games. Apple just isn't interested in games. They never have been, and iOS being the biggest gaming platform I'm sure is a bit of an embarrassment for them.
There are a couple of games that are engaging, but the one that really stands out and stuck in my mind is Beyond a Steel Sky. That was brilliant. Felt like a proper, full game that you'd get on a console or a PC (or Intel Mac). Pretty much everything else is childish crap with zero story and very little engagement; a lot is just clones of App Store titles with the ads and IAP coins torn out. The previews often look great, but then it turns out it's really quite dull, Lumen was like that.
If Apple wants to make a fundamental improvement, add a Thunderbolt/USB port for adding an external camera.
Just put a bloody USB port on it already ! This is on my wish list since Gen 2 ( I had a Gen 1). It would cost close to nothing to bring much more functionality. A port for a camera is fine but all I would want it for is an external drive to play an entire library of digital movies. I live in the woods with slow internet so streaming is always sketchy. Things most of you with hi speed can take for granted are difficult here. Just playing a playlist coming from the cloud rather than locally is a silly concept and hit or miss with some lag, and then you can forget about photos from Photos. Steve Jobs said while introducing Gen 2 that the people don't want so sync anymore (from iTunes), but he wasn't thinking of us with slow speed.
I went from 1st generation to 4th and now 5th. I do (essentially) zero streaming as, for a variety of reasons, I am not a fan of it. Instead, I have a Plex server with a substantial amount of storage. On it I have my music and video files. My internet connection can go down and everything is still available to me. You might want to consider something like this as well.
I'm running an Apple TV, 5 disk DVD and a VCR through my Home stereo to my TV. For me its the best of all worlds.
I do not want to buy any online movies or shows: I don't like to trust any vendor to store stuff I purchased (I'm still looking for some Apple Books I bought that disappeared when Apple Music came along) and I avoid renting as much as possible because I'm cheap and I hate to pay a subscription service(s) and then have to rent too.
I might watch Lord of the Rings tonight -- or maybe an old Madonna concert -- then Young Rock.
Before I setup my Plex server I was right there with you! VCR, LaserDisc, DVD (carousel) and Blu-Ray.
I have since divested myself of everything except the Blu-Ray player... and it isn't even hooked up. I have boxes of DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs in the basement, but I don't need to search through those boxes! When I want to watch a movie, I access my Plex server via the AppleTV and hit play. All the benefits of having numerous streaming services with none of the problems... including "purchased" content disappearing from said online service. No thanks to that!
Can’t see Apple pursuing high end games with Tim at the helm. Like Steve before him, gaming just isn’t in his blood.
See how far their willing to reach to establish themselves as a video streamer? They could have done this for games long before now. They might have just lost out.
IoT is a monumental folly as far as I’m concerned.
The way forward seems to be bound into security. If Apple could market the TV as an integral part of your internet security (modem, router, firewall) and offer high-quality protection with unparalleled ease-of-setup/use (perhaps using their renewed AI efforts) this would be a game changer.
If Apple wants to expand its smart audio portfolio then a sound bar makes complete sense but I don’t expect that integrated into ATV.
Tired of repeating it but here’s my 3 year old list:
TrueDepth Camera system for FaceID, Animoji Karaoke, FaceTime, Gaming, Yoga, Fitness, AR clothing etc. Will open a whole new world of apps.
M1 processor or even M1X for gaming. Seems Apple doesn’t care about high end gaming though as Apple Arcade has a performance gap. *FACEPALM*
Revamped OS. Possibly incentives to support Apple TV App. (Get Netflix and everyone else on board). Advertise iTunes. (Seriously they are ignoring the biggest video library in the world????)
Redesigned Siri controller with 3D Touch and Taptic Engine. Could even be “button-less” and work in any orientation. Would work great for fast forwarding, gaming, motor training, health research etc.
“Wireless” charging for Siri remote. Could use any wireless charger. Could allow the top of the Apple TV to charge it(though I think this idea is too novel).
Latest motion processor in Siri remote. For exercise apps, gaming, yoga, training, health research etc.
Open the lightning port to 3rd party accessories. This one is strange I know, but will open the door to a new industry of 3rd party hardware for Apple. It’s even a little too abstract to me but there’s some creative people out there. Think the old Wii 3rd-party accessories.
64GB and 256GB versions with iCloud game saves. 64GB for the “casual” user who doesn’t want to download games. 256GB for the gamer and heavy AR user.
Sounds expensive? Considering 3.5 years have passed since the last update I’m sure Apple can get component pricing to $179 for the base model and $299 for the gaming model. I’m wondering if the base model should have an A14 chip instead but I think fragmentation is terrible.
The storage is an interesting one. Not only could it store Game data but also serve as an always-on Cloud Drive/Service accelerator for all your devices (solving the only downside of cloud drives/libraries).
Sounds interesting but I do not get it. Can you elaborate?
Apologies, for the delay (no notifications).
Apple's cloud-first approach for iPadOS/iOS devices and low storage for affordable Macs keeps throwing up storage-related problems. It's hard to edit video/work with large amounts of data on iPads as there's no localisation control and re-downloading movie clips from iCloud libraries takes forever. Non-upgradable storage on Macs has us running for external drives (not great for portability). iCloud (or other cloud) Drive/Libraries logically solves both issues but performance is a problem and, as nobody would spend hundreds of dollars on a cloud caching box that does nothing else, the solution needs to be baked into something else, something static, like HomePod, AppleTV, a smart display or even a slightly re-tasked Time Capsule/Airport Extreme+HDD. Apparently macOS has been content caching for some time; https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT204675 https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/mac-help/mchl9388ba1b/mac ...but a caching server (a multi-terabyte mac mini with fully localised libraries) is beyond the consumer mindset. So the software is there - we just need the functionality added to other devices.
Along with some localisation controls (file-pinning) this could be a game-changer for Apple. Or am I just rambling?
Comments
I had been long hoping Apple would do this too. Really, I wished Apple had never cancelled the Airports.
However, over the last 8 months or so I have replaced my (4) Airports with newer WiFi-6 access points and even if Apple were to restart this product line, they have lost me as a customer for this type of product... at least until I replace the new units which might be in a decade.
TrueDepth Camera system for FaceID, Animoji Karaoke, FaceTime, Gaming, Yoga, Fitness, AR clothing etc. Will open a whole new world of apps.
M1 processor or even M1X for gaming. Seems Apple doesn’t care about high end gaming though as Apple Arcade has a performance gap. *FACEPALM*
Redesigned Siri controller with 3D Touch and Taptic Engine. Could even be “button-less” and work in any orientation. Would work great for fast forwarding, gaming, motor training, health research etc.
“Wireless” charging for Siri remote. Could use any wireless charger. Could allow the top of the Apple TV to charge it(though I think this idea is too novel).
Latest motion processor in Siri remote. For exercise apps, gaming, yoga, training, health research etc.
Open the lightning port to 3rd party accessories. This one is strange I know, but will open the door to a new industry of 3rd party hardware for Apple. It’s even a little too abstract to me but there’s some creative people out there. Think the old Wii 3rd-party accessories.
64GB and 256GB versions with iCloud game saves. 64GB for the “casual” user who doesn’t want to download games. 256GB for the gamer and heavy AR user.
Sounds expensive? Considering 3.5 years have passed since the last update I’m sure Apple can get component pricing to $179 for the base model and $299 for the gaming model. I’m wondering if the base model should have an A14 chip instead but I think fragmentation is terrible.
This may be the reason we don’t see half-decent games on Apple TV right now which is more capable than a Nintendo Switch.
But look how great and vast Nintendo Switch games are:
At this point Apple needs to bring it’s A-game if it wants to compete with the PS5, upcoming Xbox and Nintendo console. iPhone 6s-compatible Apple Arcade games aren’t gonna convince anyone new.
A port for a camera is fine but all I would want it for is an external drive to play an entire library of digital movies. I live in the woods with slow internet so streaming is always sketchy. Things most of you with hi speed can take for granted are difficult here. Just playing a playlist coming from the cloud rather than locally is a silly concept and hit or miss with some lag, and then you can forget about photos from Photos. Steve Jobs said while introducing Gen 2 that the people don't want so sync anymore (from iTunes), but he wasn't thinking of us with slow speed.
Even if you live in a place with no high speed internet via landlines or cell towers, Musk's Starlink is now being deployed, and it costs less per month than what I'm currently paying for my high speed internet. And the first Starlink customers in Canada are getting 400 Mbps download speeds for about US$99/month. That's the same speed as typical fiber internet. So I can't see Apple catering to people who refuse to get online.
I have since divested myself of everything except the Blu-Ray player... and it isn't even hooked up. I have boxes of DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs in the basement, but I don't need to search through those boxes! When I want to watch a movie, I access my Plex server via the AppleTV and hit play. All the benefits of having numerous streaming services with none of the problems... including "purchased" content disappearing from said online service. No thanks to that!
There are a couple of games that are engaging, but the one that really stands out and stuck in my mind is Beyond a Steel Sky. That was brilliant. Felt like a proper, full game that you'd get on a console or a PC (or Intel Mac). Pretty much everything else is childish crap with zero story and very little engagement; a lot is just clones of App Store titles with the ads and IAP coins torn out. The previews often look great, but then it turns out it's really quite dull, Lumen was like that.
See how far their willing to reach to establish themselves as a video streamer? They could have done this for games long before now. They might have just lost out.
IoT is a monumental folly as far as I’m concerned.
The way forward seems to be bound into security. If Apple could market the TV as an integral part of your internet security (modem, router, firewall) and offer high-quality protection with unparalleled ease-of-setup/use (perhaps using their renewed AI efforts) this would be a game changer.
If Apple wants to expand its smart audio portfolio then a sound bar makes complete sense but I don’t expect that integrated into ATV.
Apple's cloud-first approach for iPadOS/iOS devices and low storage for affordable Macs keeps throwing up storage-related problems. It's hard to edit video/work with large amounts of data on iPads as there's no localisation control and re-downloading movie clips from iCloud libraries takes forever. Non-upgradable storage on Macs has us running for external drives (not great for portability). iCloud (or other cloud) Drive/Libraries logically solves both issues but performance is a problem and, as nobody would spend hundreds of dollars on a cloud caching box that does nothing else, the solution needs to be baked into something else, something static, like HomePod, AppleTV, a smart display or even a slightly re-tasked Time Capsule/Airport Extreme+HDD.
Apparently macOS has been content caching for some time;
https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT204675
https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/mac-help/mchl9388ba1b/mac
...but a caching server (a multi-terabyte mac mini with fully localised libraries) is beyond the consumer mindset. So the software is there - we just need the functionality added to other devices.
Along with some localisation controls (file-pinning) this could be a game-changer for Apple. Or am I just rambling?