Apple VP calls Apple TV 4K an 'outsized value,' doesn't want to aim for a price point

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 27
    The AppleTV became significantly more popular when the 2nd and 3rd generation were reduced to $99.  That is the number one request people wanted after being surveyed about the first generation model.  Doubling the price by offering the same video sources but in app format does not warrant the price increase.  Siri is stupid on AppleTV.  The remote has been a joke.  Thankfully the Harmony has no problem controlling it.  The new version comes with a 3-year old outdated processor that adds no value because you can watch the same 4K content.  They add a new calibration feature in tvOS for people with basic TVs.  When you have a TV that supports Dolby Vision, the feature is not applicable.  Makes sense since you are already watching a calibrated picture.  Apple should have reduced the price of the AppleTV because it provides no additional value over the 2017 model, especially when they bump the processor by two generations when they could have easily used an A14.  If people want games, they have a PS4 or Xbox.  So their incremental update from A10X to A12 (not even the A12X or A12Z which smoke the A12 in graphics), isn't even worth it.  I guess that's why the separate remote is more popular than the box itself.
    elijahg
  • Reply 22 of 27
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,753member
    The AppleTV became significantly more popular when the 2nd and 3rd generation were reduced to $99.  That is the number one request people wanted after being surveyed about the first generation model.  Doubling the price by offering the same video sources but in app format does not warrant the price increase.  Siri is stupid on AppleTV.  The remote has been a joke.  Thankfully the Harmony has no problem controlling it.  The new version comes with a 3-year old outdated processor that adds no value because you can watch the same 4K content.  They add a new calibration feature in tvOS for people with basic TVs.  When you have a TV that supports Dolby Vision, the feature is not applicable.  Makes sense since you are already watching a calibrated picture.  Apple should have reduced the price of the AppleTV because it provides no additional value over the 2017 model, especially when they bump the processor by two generations when they could have easily used an A14.  If people want games, they have a PS4 or Xbox.  So their incremental update from A10X to A12 (not even the A12X or A12Z which smoke the A12 in graphics), isn't even worth it.  I guess that's why the separate remote is more popular than the box itself.
    They probably had to update because they were running out of their A10X stockpile, and it wasn't worth keeping the production line running just for the ATV. Now they can use their A12 stockpile. I think the number one request for most Apple products is to make them cheaper. But the ATV especially so since the competition is either 1/4 the price or free since it comes in the TV already.
    muthuk_vanalingampatchythepirate
  • Reply 23 of 27
    tjwolftjwolf Posts: 424member
    nicholfd said:
    tjwolf said:
    ...
    p.s. after I gave away my ATV4k, we discovered the joy of watching TV on our covered porch.  We had a cheap/old Sharp TV laying around and bought a $50 Roku 4k stick that instantly enabled that TV with Netflix, Amazon....and Apple TV & AirPlay.  Now that's a good value for the money!
    Ok - you gave away a $179(+) Apple TV & spent another $50 on a Roku 4k stick and you now state, "Now that's a good value for the money!"?!?!?!?!?!

    You could have kept the Apple TV & connected it to the same old TV on your covered porch & still had "Netflix, Amazon....and Apple TV & AirPlay" without spending an extra $50...
    I guess you didn't see the word "AFTER" in "after I gave away my ATV4k, we discovered...".  Besides, that TV is also hanging from a ceiling, so I wouldn't have had a place to put the ATV4k anyway, whereas the Roku stick just plugs into HDMI and USB jacks on the TV.
  • Reply 24 of 27
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    elijahg said:
    If he thinks $179 is "outstanding value" for something that does very little more than the $149 AppleTV HD circa 2015 he needs to make himself aware of the same market the rest of the world has access to. There are so many things wrong with the ATV, though the new remote seems like a significant improvement. But for pretty much everyone the cheapo Amazon FireTV stick at 25% of the price is 4x better value. Oh and Alexa actually works, unlike Siri.
    $149 in 2015 is almost $169 today. 

    I have the original HD and happily upgraded to the 2021 model. The remote and added support for higher resolution and frame rates are worth it. 

    I’ve used used other devices and the UX of the ATV is superior. And Siri works fine on ATV, no issues. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 25 of 27
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    The AppleTV became significantly more popular when the 2nd and 3rd generation were reduced to $99.  That is the number one request people wanted after being surveyed about the first generation model.  Doubling the price by offering the same video sources but in app format does not warrant the price increase.  Siri is stupid on AppleTV.  The remote has been a joke.  Thankfully the Harmony has no problem controlling it.  The new version comes with a 3-year old outdated processor that adds no value because you can watch the same 4K content.  They add a new calibration feature in tvOS for people with basic TVs.  When you have a TV that supports Dolby Vision, the feature is not applicable.  Makes sense since you are already watching a calibrated picture.  Apple should have reduced the price of the AppleTV because it provides no additional value over the 2017 model, especially when they bump the processor by two generations when they could have easily used an A14.  If people want games, they have a PS4 or Xbox.  So their incremental update from A10X to A12 (not even the A12X or A12Z which smoke the A12 in graphics), isn't even worth it.  I guess that's why the separate remote is more popular than the box itself.
    I tossed my Harmony remote into the drawer when I got the original Siri Remote. While it’s shape sucked, Siri, and the touchpad and scrubbing were that much better than a D-pad, hands down. 

    Logitech is discontinuing the Harmony remote anyway. Enjoy it while you can. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 26 of 27
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,753member
    elijahg said:
    If he thinks $179 is "outstanding value" for something that does very little more than the $149 AppleTV HD circa 2015 he needs to make himself aware of the same market the rest of the world has access to. There are so many things wrong with the ATV, though the new remote seems like a significant improvement. But for pretty much everyone the cheapo Amazon FireTV stick at 25% of the price is 4x better value. Oh and Alexa actually works, unlike Siri.
    $149 in 2015 is almost $169 today. 

    I have the original HD and happily upgraded to the 2021 model. The remote and added support for higher resolution and frame rates are worth it. 

    I’ve used used other devices and the UX of the ATV is superior. And Siri works fine on ATV, no issues. 
    Ok, but the Amazon Fire TV stick was $50 in 2015, and is still $50 in 2021, but quite often drops to $30.

    We have a 720p TV, I really don't see what the fuss is about with higher resolution, so the newer ATV's only new hardware feature would go unused. I have a 5k iMac, and whilst 4k is nice, I don't seek it out over standard HD (nor will pay more for it).

    The UI of the ATV might be superior but IMO, its still pretty crap. The menu button is completely unpredictable, sometimes it takes you back a level in the hierarchy, sometimes it takes you home, other times it shows the top menu. Apple has a horrible habit of overloading a single button with multiple functions (in the name of minimalism, presumably). The menu button forces you to click and wait to see what's going to happen; its impossible to get to the root of the app without clicking and waiting multiple times and often accidentally going home. The keyboard entry is stupid, they went from a 5x6 square grid of letters so you're at most 5 away from the letter you want, to the single line where you're at most 25 away from where you want to be for every letter. It looks nice, but functionally its awful. Form over function, again.

    Siri is junk, I never even bother with it on the ATV. It never finds anything I ask for, and doesn't work with Plex due to some Apple restriction. 
    edited May 2021
  • Reply 27 of 27
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    elijahg said:

    The UI of the ATV might be superior but IMO, its still pretty crap.
    I agree. It's pretty but the gestures used and picture overlays are often inscrutable. I hope with the launch of the new remote they start to remove some of that shit and just use the touchpad for scrolling because it's awful for invoking menus and pulling drawers from the top and bottom. And hopefully the distinction between a Menu and Back button will get rid of some of the problems you describe.
    muthuk_vanalingam
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