Apple ditching the Siri Remote might be the best news this month

By Oliver Haslam
published

Siri Remote on Apple TV
Siri Remote on Apple TV (Image credit: iMore)

Rumors has it today that Apple is getting ready to ditch the Siri Remote for good. When, we don't really know. But it can't come soon enough.

According to a new 9to5Mac report, people inside Apple are working on something carrying the codename "B519." That obviously doesn't tell us anything about the remote itself, but I'm going to go ahead and assume it's the best damned remote that you ever did see.

Because, wow. It can't possibly get much worse.

The Siri Remote is something we've all been universally tired of since day one. Anyone who says it's fine is wrong. It's as simple as that.

Not functionally, though. The buttons all work and the Siri Remote has the buttons that do the things I generally want them to do. Volume buttons change the volume on my TV. The play/pause button plays and pauses whatever I'm watching just fine. The problem comes from the fact I can't work out which way up the remote is at any given time. And that means I can't tell which buttons are which without checking. Thrice.

The Siri Remote is the USB-A of the TV world. Why does it take three attempts to work out which way to hold it so I can turn the volume down?

Apple TV Siri Remote

Apple TV Siri Remote (Image credit: iMore)

The current Siri Remote is so poor that there are entire lines of accessories designed to make it more usable. Rubber cases that make it easier to hold and stop it from shattering. Did I mention the whole thing is glass and metal?

It's a remote control. That's glass. The thing that gets dropped most in my house is made of something that shatters.

I haven't even whinged about the fact it's so small and thin that it disappears behind cushions and beneath sofas with alarming ease. At any one time that Siri Remote could be in one of about fifteen different places and none of them are where I left it. A new Apple TV remote control can't come soon enough for me. Now I just hope that I can buy the remote and have it work with my existing Apple TV 4K.

Don't make me buy a whole new Apple TV to get a remote that doesn't make my blood boil, Apple. I beg you.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.

9 Comments
  • Ummm.....settle down and download Apple’s remote app. Sheesh.
  • The remote is actually one of my favorite parts about the Apple TV. The buttons are clicky, responsive. The touchpad is great for quickly scrolling. It’s rechargeable, and has only the absolutely necessary buttons. It also doesn’t even need to be pointed at the TV. And compared to my Samsung remote that could be used as a club, the Apple TV remote doesn’t hurt when it falls on my foot.
  • The problem I have with it is the glide pad is just not accurate.
  • I just hate how sensitive it is.
  • You can adjust this easily in settings on the appletv
  • OK I dont understand why the petty frustration needs an article. The remote works perfectly well and isnt ugly like so many others. Whats the supposed new one supposed to look like?
  • "Because, wow. It can't possibly get much worse."
    Hold my beer.
  • Maybe I am in the minority, but I never thought the remote was that bad or at least nowhere near as bad as the author makes it out to be #1stWorldProblems....
  • It is fine. And I'm not wrong. It is, however, dead.