The Apple TV is good... but here are six ways it could be even better

The fourth-generation Apple TV has arrived, and all across the world people are busy making room on their console table and tossing their third-generation set-top boxes into disused corners of the room. And rightly so: The new Apple TV is pretty stellar.

I've had 48 hours to play with the latest version of tvOS and third-party apps, and I've pretty much moved my office into my living room in that time. I've downloaded crazy plane-finding apps and virtual art galleries, used my voice to search Hulu, explored the jungles of Rayman Adventures, and rocked out to some Apple Music. And I've written a lot of how-tos.

Unfortunately, I've also had some time to bump up against some of tvOS's rougher 1.0 edges. These aren't deal-breakers for me—there's a lot that the new Apple TV has going for it, and I've really enjoyed my time with it so far. But in the interest of making the couch-potato evenings of myself and many other new Apple TV owners just a bit better, here are some things I wouldn't mind seeing improved upon in subsequent updates.

1. Update the Remote app (or give us back Bluetooth keyboard support)

Apple has made setting up an Apple TV virtually seamless if you have an iOS device around, thanks to Bluetooth connectivity. But after that initial setup process, we're tossed back into the dark ages of remote-typing. The Siri Remote is quite a bit better at typing quickly than its predecessor, but let's face it: It's still a remote. And if you have any sort of complicated password, you're in trouble.

Previous Apple TVs had a solution in the form of the Remote app (opens in new tab), which let you use your iPhone's virtual keyboard to enter any text you might need to type. Unfortunately, that app has yet to see an update that supports the fourth-generation Apple TV.

Nor can the new Apple TV connect to a Bluetooth keyboard—it just doesn't show up in the Bluetooth menu—so you are, as of now, completely confined to one-letter-at-a-time text entry.

I don't really need to say it, but I'm going to: Apple, this sucks. It's so easy to set up the Apple TV with an iPhone; why can't there be an option for all password prompts bounce over to a nearby unlocked iOS device? Or, barring that—give us an update to Remote app. Or a Bluetooth keyboard. This is painful.

Some apps, to their credit, have anticipated this nightmare: On launch, they ask you to go to a URL and enter in a specific code, where you can then log in securely and get a 5-digit code to enter into your Apple TV in lieu of a full username and password.

I don't hate this system—and it's a nice way of incorporating multiple-factor authentication—but c'mon, Apple. The Apple TV is so smooth and easy to use in other areas! You can do better.

I'm just going to put this here.

See more

Yeah, app developers can't link to their tvOS apps right now. Nor can you share a link from tvOS to your device. Or share much of anything, really.

This wouldn't be such a problem, except the brand-new tvOS App Store has yet to offer any sort of lists or categories beyond the Featured and Purchased tabs. So if you're looking for new apps, you either have to find it on the Featured tab or you have to manually search for it. (You can get a pseudo alphabetic listing of all the apps on the store currently by searching A-Z, which we did for fun... and exhaustion.)

I'm hoping this will change quickly, because it's just infeasible for app developers. How are you going to direct your current customers to your new app if it's not a Universal purchase with your iOS app? And if you're a new developer, trying to build any sort of awareness without a spot on the Featured screen is going to be next to impossible.

I suppose you could always do it this way...

See more

But seriously. Let's pray this gets fixed, and fast. It's not good for app developers, it's not good for app discovery and exploration, it's not good for tvOS.

3. Give Siri access to Home Sharing and Apple Music

This is less of an immediate problem and more of a niggle, but it's a shame Siri on Apple TV can't currently search your Home Sharing libraries or Apple Music. Its search features are so useful in finding video content that I'd love a version that incorporates Apple Music and Home Sharing, too. I do understand the challenges inherent in indexing Home Sharing: Maintaining privacy is important, but Siri can't search your computer's library if it doesn't know the titles of your home movies or music.

Regardless, rumor has it that Apple Music support is coming early next year; fingers crossed that Home Sharing support arrives along with it.

4. Support multiple Game Center accounts in multiplayer

There are a bunch of great games on the tvOS App Store with in-home multiplayer experiences, but so far there appears to be no way to get Game Center to register multiple gaming accounts when you have friends playing—or even keep multiple accounts in the system if you want to switch from account to account.

Microsoft's Xbox system is a great example of multiplayer gaming done well: You can log in with your gamertag on multiple systems if you have an Xbox Live Gold account, and your friends can log in with their tags, too. It makes it easy to keep track of scores, achievements, and progress even if you're away from home or playing with friends.

On Apple TV, Apple's offered support for multiple Apple IDs purchasing items since the previous generation; it'd be great to see that support trickle down into the Game Center portion of things, too.

5. Let third-party apps use picture-in-picture

Your Apple TV ships with a variety of fantastic content-based apps, including Hulu, Netflix, Showtime, and HBO. But sometimes, you want to multitask—watch ESPN while playing a game, for instance. Currently, though, the Apple TV interface lives inside one app: Exit, and the app content goes with you.

Background picture-in-picture came to the iPad in iOS 9—the technology is there, and the Apple TV doesn't even have to worry about backgrounding power draw the way a mobile device might, since it's constantly connected to a power source.

I'm guessing it's on the roadmap for future tvOS updates, but there just wasn't enough time (or it wasn't a high enough priority) to ship it in 1.0. A bummer, but something I hope to see down the line.

6. Open up access to the Siri Remote's mic

Smule's Sing! is one of the best reinventions of an iOS app I've found for the Apple TV so far: Karaoke on my Apple TV? Sign me up. Unfortunately, you can't use the microphone built into the Siri Remote for anything other than Siri dictation—no apps can access it. As such, if you want to do any sort of mic input in your app, you need to fire up your iPhone and Smule's companion app, or hook up an external microphone to your TV. Bit of a drag.

I suspect the Siri Remote's microphone isn't anything amazing—you're not going to be using it to record video podcasts anytime soon—but it would be another tool in the tvOS toolbox for making cool apps.

What do you want to fix about the Apple TV?

Any annoyances you're frustrated about, or features you love? Let us know below.

[Edited at 9AM ET 11/1/15 to fix an error about background audio. I was under the impression it wasn't available in tvOS 1.0. I was happily wrong.]

Serenity Caldwell

Serenity was formerly the Managing Editor at iMore, and now works for Apple. She's been talking, writing about, and tinkering with Apple products since she was old enough to double-click. In her spare time, she sketches, sings, and in her secret superhero life, plays roller derby. Follow her on Twitter @settern.

176 Comments
  • Wish I could figure out how to mark seasons/episodes as watched now?! That would make it better, LOL
  • If they could get support for Trakt accounts that would be awesome!
  • Yessss!!!!! I'm getting around it by using using Home Sharing. I have the Traktable app installed on my iMac. It'd be so nice if individual services hooked into Trakt though.
  • I agree 100000% & kinda aggravated Sent from the iMore App
  • The episodes comment Sent from the iMore App
  • Man I noticed that tonight, weird
  • To mark an episode as watched, just select it then press and hold the track pad, similar to how the earlier ATV worked. Not sure about marking a full season, never needed to do that.
  • On Apple TV 3, "Mark all as watched." I'm guessing this would still work on Apple TV 4.
  • They really need to fix the scrolling speed through long lists. It doesn't accelerate like it used to on the previous Apple TV.
  • It's adjustable in settings.
  • Yeah, but it still doesn't do inertial scrolling on long lists.
  • Mine does -- if you swipe with a quick motion, it scrolls faster -- repeated 'quick-swipes' pick up speed.
  • I want to be able to sign in a different Apple Music account than the one associated with my iTunes account.
  • You can have multiple Apple IDs stored on the Apple TV; that's probably the only way you'll get this functionality, unfortunately.
  • The multi-user login on the  TV 4 is seriously flawed. I mean, 3 different logins just to switch users? REALLY???? It's ridiculous -- there should be 1  TV login per user, and all the different accounts should be associated with that one login. And parental controls / restrictions should work based on those logins, too, and not be blanketed system wide for all users regardless of age.
    I was really dismayed that the Siri Remote didn't have Touch ID so that a user could login just by tapping on the remote.
  • ^^ THIS. I wish there was true milti-user login, like there is on the Mac. On the Mac, when you switch users, everything changes. Wallpaper, desktop/dock icons, preferences, etc. (plus that cool cube animation when switching accounts). I wish the Apple TV 4 had all that. It could be as easy to switch accounts, as it is to change Netflix profiles. With an option to password-protect certain accounts. I'd also like quad-picture-in-picture. Four screens at once, it would be useful, especially on larger TVs.
  • My solution was to reset the iCloud Music Library associated with the Apple ID I use for the iTunes Store. Now I can use Apple Music on Apple TV and my iPad without seeing anything from my Mac (where iCloud Music Library is turned off). I prefer to keep the two libraries separate!
    FYI: Deleting the contents of your library retains all your followed artists. I suspect that if you use Apple's reset option, those would be reset as well.
  • I use my Apply TV all the time for playing Podcasts. I picked up the new one and the Podcast app has vanished, nowhere to be seen. Big miss
  • 'Big miss' is a bit of an overstatement. If I had to guess, I don't think you'll have to wait long for Apple's Podcasts app to be native on the new AppleTV. In the meantime, if you have an iOS device -- the iOS Podcasts app has native AirPlay support that works quite well with the new ATV. My preferred app for podcasts is Downcast, which also has integrated AirPlay.
  • Also remember Home Sharing works well for podcasts as well if you have a computer running iTunes on your network. I suspect we'll be spoilt for choice in a years time.
  • The search is cool but until I can Home Sharing libraries or Apple Music, something will be missing for me to use it a lot. I'm sure it' doable since all my videos are in iTunes with all the perfect tags (title, description, or if needed, actors,...). Or what I would love is at least, just like you have an icon for Netflix or Hulu when you do search, to have an icon saying that movie or tv show is available on your home sharing. If this is live, the search will be great. I think for this, Apple would have to do some sorta of match etc. And for sure another missing features: Movie trailers is not available in Canada (weird) and i'm missing the Podcast app :(
  • Exactly, my internet connection is not fast enough to stream content all the time. If I already have a film in my iTunes library then why should I need to wait and download it again?
  • Yes. It is not acceptable for Apple to:
    a) encourage users to buy titles they already own, or
    b) scroll though thousands of titles and home videos in their Library. Basic search functionality should not require 3rd party apps. I really would like to understand what prevents Apple TV from searching the Library. The excuses I can think of are not valid: 1) Difficult to locate the videos. This is no excuse because Apple TV can already find & list the Library videos. 2) Search the list is complex. This is no excuse because and Siri APIs are already in place (searching only services for now). 3) Apple would be violating user's privacy (by searching metadata). This is no excuse because the user is using his metadata to search his own library. Anyway, if needed, Apple could make it an "opt in" feature. 4) Libraries have imperfect (difficult to match) metadata. This is no excuse because Apple TV could provide incomplete search results. It would be better than no results at all, and users could improve their own search results by adding better metadata in iTunes. 5) Performance issues. This is no excuse because Apple TV could cache the Library search index locally (as Apple TV likely already caches the list of Library videos). If I am missing a technical reason blocking search on Library after so many years, I would love to hear it. I hope Apple fixes it in the next software update.
  • Is Home Sharing not available in Canadia? I've been using it here in the States all weekend on my 4th Gen. If so, my sincere sympathies, and I can only hope it moves north ASAP!
  • Home Sharing is available but you can't use the Universal Search to find your content. So if you search for something it search iTunes (online), and the other services that are hooked in, but it won't pick up that you have it in your local library (and don't need to download it again).
  • The app store must get categories to browse. In the moment there is no way to discover an app which is not featured.
  • Wish it had a USB port to play
    Movies and music. I like the new remote but I prefer the the old one for scrolling. Overall I really like it but it's far from perfect. Sent from the iMore App
  • For the longest time now anytime my iPhone locks if I'm air playing video the stream stops. Is anyone else having this issue.
  • When you select the appleTV from the AirPlay menu, try enabling mirroring also.
  • Being able to enter your satellite or cable provider once to verify all the streaming apps that use your subscriber information would also relieve a lot of the typing problems. Apple shouldn't be so hell bent on featuring the Siri remote and update the iOS remote app. $79 for a replacement remote is half the coct of an Apple TV and a steep price to pay.
  • The stupid 250 song limit "bug" in Apple Music. Seriously I have several playlists with over 1300 tracks in - Apple TV shows 250. Sigh. Quick fix please Apple. Yes, I've reported it.
  • I'm really liking the new ATV. As an Amazon Prime subscriber, I very occasionally watch Amazon Instant Video content. While an app would be great, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the iOS Amazon app's native AirPlay works with the ATV; even being able to use the 'what did he just say' voice command and have the video zip back 15 seconds and temporarily turn on subtitles. I use Plex extensively, and was glad to see a tweet from them yesterday that their ATV app has been submitted for approval. Their iOS app also offers native AirPlay support, which is a nice stopgap. There's also a 3rd party Plex player, SimpleX, available in the AppStore now for $2.99. After a day of playing, my only real criticism would be the remote. While it has amazingly intuitive functionality that is fully integrated into the viewing experience -- I wish it were at least twice as thick. After a couple hours of using it, my wrist became sore and I switched hands. After a while, my other wrist started feeling it. If Candy Crush comes out for the ATV, I'm going to need carpal tunnel surgery. Maybe someone will come out with something you can snap onto the back for the purpose of making it thicker.
  • I agree, AirPlay is rock solid on this device - much more stable than my experience on the Apple TV 3. AirPLay Mirroring my Macbook Air occurs with zero lag. I also agree the remote is a meh! I really don't like the clickiness of the button - why couldn't we just has a tap? I use a Logitech Harmony Ultimate setup which allows me to integrate all my devices perfectly. Minus the Siri integration which to be honest is a gimmick as I see it at this moment, this remote makes the experience much more enjoyable.
  • Not sure who you're agreeing with, the remote is no 'meh' to me -- and I'll take 'clickiness' over accidental taps any day. ForceTouch might be nice, but not plain old tapping. I'd just like something to snap it in to make it bigger. From the number of these I've found on Amazon alone for earlier AppleTV remotes, it shouldn't be much of a wait. I have a Logitech Harmony Ultimate as well, which is always fully charged as I never use it. Too much going on and it has to be looked at to make sure you press the right buttons, or touch the screen in the right spot. The AppleTV remote is eyes-free. With Siri, much of it is touch-free as well. Siri integration is anything but 'a gimmick' as far as I'm concerned, being able to control media playback with voice commands like 'skip ahead/back [x] seconds/minutes' or 'what did they say' has set a new bar for me -- anything less would now no longer be a purchase consideration as this functionality would be perceived as missing. I'd like even more of Siri and am looking forward to a future update when I'll be able to add things to my iOS Reminder lists, or reference my Calendar and Contact stuff. Better yet, Hand-Off of phone calls, SMS or iMessaging -- who wouldn't want to take an incoming call on their ATV remote while watching TV and if required, transfer it their iPhone or other Hand-Off device; view a message and use Siri to send a quick response. More harmonious than a Harmony ;-)
  • I'm ready to return this. It sucks!!! No remote app and no ip control from third party apps. I use rookie remote to control everything. Now it won't work. Even apple's own remote app won't work. WTF Apple?! Starting to look more and more like Microsoft!! Applesoft!!!
  • Settle Down!
  • I had the same reaction myself immediately but have since decided to persevere as the device is very very stable and AirPlay is super good.
  • It's even worse than I thought!
    App Store has a pathetic selection of apps. It's pretty much the same built in apps that were there in the older Apple TV, plus a few silly games. No way to browse by category of apps. Very annoying to find what you want.
    Now web browser, or even third party browser like chrome. My thumb hurts already from the swiping on the remote.
    This is the worst product Apple has ever released!
  • Another thing, they got rid of the optical audio out!!! Wtf!?!? Some people use it!!!!
  • You dont have one on the tv? Sent from the iMore App
  • If only there was a way for the app store to grow..
    Oh well... Sent from the iMore App
  • Explain yourself. What on earth are you babbling about?
  • Time to go outside and get some air.
  • exactly! Unbeliavable... I am now using my old Apple tv as a "speaker" over wifi to connect to optical audio. Pain as well when you always have to chooce it again when using AirPlay
  • Btw, Apple can fix it all with a software update. The question is will they! My Apple TV 3 was much more useful and functional. I don't know what I just paid $200 for. Siri?! It never understands me anyway.
  • I'm very worried myself about the reliance on Siri. Siri misunderstands me about 60% of the time at least and I have an excellent clear speaking voice. I know this because I've been on TV a few times myself and seen the recordings. I have a friend who works as a voice actor especially because of his clear pronunciation and he says Siri "doesn't work at all" for him either. Siri is simply not good enough to be a primary interface. The UI *must* work as a UI and not rely on Siri for effectiveness or it's a FAIL. I'm reserving judgement until I actually get a unit, but people praising Siri are way off base. Siri is an add-on only. It's an assist for lazy or blind people. It can *never* ever be a stand alone interface. Pure voice control is science fiction, not science fact and all the wishing in the world won't change that.
  • I am probably going to keep it, but it seems half baked and it's got a lot of "Eddy Cue's Apple" in it. 1. Search is extremely slow
    2. Typography in the Music app looks terrible
    3. Actually, the whole Music app seems blurry to me
    4. The passwords
    5. Keeps hawking Apple Music at me (Eddy Cue's Apple)
    6. The App Store literally seems like they threw it together at the last minute
    7. I had to log in with my Apple ID literally 6 different times
    8. The "turn on my TV" feature already stopped working (fyi, can be fixed by cycling the setting)
    9. Very easy to accidentally jump around while navigating
    10. Jesus Christ the remote. It's perfectly symmetrical length wise. Aka, impossible to not hold upside down. In summary, this does not feel like an Apple product. The whole value proposition for me lies on the integrated search (across with Netflix and Hulu) which is admittedly awesome. And on the promise of developers making cool things. And I am worried about the later given how sparse the App Store is, the no-bluetooth keyboard thing, and the no webkit thing. (I have a theory that the no bluetooth keyboard and no webkit things are to keep the AppleTV from being a cheap, iOS desktop computer)
  • The presence of yet more advertising in the interface is depressing if true. We now have permanent adverts in every Apple operating system. They've also recently started putting adverts for their hardware in the software stores. That's new too. Ads, ads, ads, everywhere. That's the new Apple. It makes me wonder why I left Windows in the first place as that was one of my many issues with it.
  • What is Eddy Cue's Apple? Sent from the iMore App
  • Have to agree with you about the app store. Same as the ios app store. Nothing new, innovative or exciting here.
  • No Apple Music Siri support at launch is ridiculous. Apple Music, came out in June and the Apple TV came out in October and Apple didn't think to have it in for launch? It shouldn't be that much different from the iOS version of Siri. Not allowing third party applications to access the microphone is the exact same problem the Apple Watch had and they still didn't learn that people wanted that from the beginning?
  • Yep, agree, they could have really impressed with this at launch. Got Apple Music a competitive edge as well at the same time. Instead they missed the mark again. At this moment I have a bug where I cannot search Apple Music at all. I can play Apple Music tracks via Playlists but they don't appear in search. Curious!
  • Worse. This feature exists in CarPlay so it's not as if they didn't have the code or the knowledge on how to do this.
  • Ohh yeah, since I can't use the remote app now, I can no longer use foreign languages for searching, etc. I could before.
  • Remote app will be updated soon im sure. Hopefully remade. Sent from the iMore App
  • "Remote app will be updated soon I'm sure" Unfortunately I'm not. It is still not been updated to support Apple Music on the Mac iTunes over 3 months after Apple Music was officially released. Unfathomable to me - do none of the developers or managers at Apple use the Remote App??? Please update it thoroughly, starting with Apple Music! Apple customers do use your product, and they use their iPhone and iPads to drive their Macs and AppleTVs!
  • Home Sharing Search is most important for me. I have a LOT of video content in my iTunes library and if Siri can only find it via the store and need me to stream it then I won't use search and will just navigate to my library making Siri essentially useless.
  • So here is the bottom line with this. Don't "upgrade" unless you can't live without Siri or a few silly games, and you can live with a watered down device, and a more cumbersome GUI.
    The Netflix app as an example reminds me of boxee's version. The older one was much easier to use.
    I'm in shock over how lousy this thing is. Shame on Apple!
  • Plex is the main reason to upgrade if you don't care about 23.976 fps output (in that case you might want to look at a Raspberry PI2). I am dumping iTunes now and using my Plex library (which has always been the same files, just dumped as links into iTunes and sitting in my Plex directory)
  • I'd agree partially. Don't buy until the new year when some of the rough edges are ironed out and some better apps have appeared. The device is very fast and solid - AirPlay is definitely more responsive in my setup. If that is important to you, this could be a good upgrade. Apple was correct - the future is Apps because as it is right now, this is not the future. The developers will make this device. I just hope we don't have to resort to jailbreaking to put BT keyboard support back!
  • I couldn't disagree more, but different strokes. We use netflix a lot and it's much easier to bypass the who's watching part and multiple clicks by just asking siri for the show/series/movie you want to watch. Siri has made navigating multiple sources easy including network shows on their apps. Way easier than the older apple TV or the older Roku. I don't see how it is watered down experience. Love the what did she say thing, esp on some brit shows - Siri is worth it. And the visuals and sounds in the process make it a more polished experience overall. And since I'm coming from the second generation Apple TV I also appreciate 1080p resolution. I had few expectations for apps at this point, but tried out and liked flying around in Guardians with the remote. But agree that in early days for the TV app store, that/s no reason to get it. Apple's limits on how much developers can download is likely slowing submissions. I agree with all of Serenity's issues and hope they will be addressed sooner rather than later, especially music and photos. Also that in a year when I have a 4K TV, we'll see some 4K source material in iTunes as well as an upgrade to ATV that includes support for 4K and more importantly, HDR (which requires a better HDMI interface and cable). But over all, a good experience.
  • Very surprised there is no "Find My Remote" function. If the remote itself has no means of generating sound this might be a moot point, but, then again, surprised that this wasn't a part of the original hardware design.
  • Ooh! Good call :) That would be a nice feature.
  • A mute button or work around.
  • And how about entering letters via Siri by speaking the nato alphabet? "My password is tango foxtrot niner victor kilo"
  • The trouble with that is that what you call the "nato alphabet" is one of perhaps a dozen or two different variations on the same thing. The police and the military of almost every western country uses a similar alphabet but with different words for the letters. It's not even a case of there being a USA version and also others, there are multiple versions in use in the USA, plus a different one for every other country and military organisation out there. There is also the "ick factor" of using a MILITARY shorthand for a consumer product. It would alienate the majority of the customers and rightly so.
  • 1. It would be optional to use, probably not even a published feature.
    2. It wouldn't be hard to implement multiple vocabulary versions for interpretation. Whether "delta" or "dog", I'm sure Siri could figure out "it starts with the letter 'D' ". It could be keyed to listen for such special vocabulary only on the text entry screen.
  • Hopefully they will have most of these issues fixed by the first of the year, when I get mine. Posted via the iMore App for Android
  • Would like to use multiple Siri remotes in multiplayer gaming. It would bring a Wii like experience in Apple TV gaming. Sent from the iMore App
  • I think Siri is a problem. It hasn't done anything right and most of the answers are "I can't help you with that". I said "go to Jimmy Fallon on Hulu" and the response was "there is no app Jimmy Fallon on Hulu". The "what did they just say" line also didn't work properly, the video went back 15 secs but there were no subtitles. Also, it won't take dictation in input areas? Like email addresses etc... Also there are very few apps... I was rather surprised... And navigation in the app store is really counter intuitive, very un-Apple. Sent from the iMore App
  • It might be that "go to" is reserved to jumping into apps. Try some of these to see if they work better: "I want to watch Jimmy Fallon" or even more specific, if it's what you're looking for: "I want to watch The Tonight Show". I'd be curious if this works" I want to watch The Tonight Show episode of Friday, October 30th" "Search Hulu for Jimmy Fallon" or "Search Hulu for The Tonight Show" I know I was successful with "I want to watch the final episode of season 3 of Star Trek The Next Generation", which was available to me via Netflix. I don't recall if I asked it to search Netflix, I think instead I didn't specify the source, so it showed me a screen where I had the option of iTunes or Netflix, and I selected Netflix. As for the subtitles issue, can you manually invoke subtitles in the show you attempted the "What did they just say" from, using the pull-down menu? Should be, just want to be sure. I'd be surprised if a program is lacking subtitles these days. As to your other pain points, yes, I totally agree. <pulls hair out using free hand while trying to use remote in the other hand to type on the TV screen>
  • I am really surprised how half baked this product is. They have had years to prepare for this launch! I can see that most of the limitations can be corrected in software but how long it that going to take? My own pet peeve is the fact that it does not choose the best (surround) audio track when playing movies using home sharing as the 3rd generation product did (even when you choose surround in the settings). One of the main things I use this device for is acting a front end for my personal video collection. Thankfully, I can still use my many years old WD TV Live for that but the point is to reduce the number of boxes we have to use...or is it really to steer us to Apple paid content??? It used to be that you could be an early adopted of Apple products and be sure of a solid release. Both the watch and this device have been disappointments in that regard. If it is not ready wait until it is! I am beginning to think they should change the name of the company from Apple, Inc. to iPhone Inc..
  • Quite a few. - Support for 24hz
    - Audio passthrough of other audio codecs
    - Better siri (I still find its voice recog behind googles)
    - Universal search to search itunes libraries and third party apps
    - Universal search not tied to the region of the console. I'm in Australia with a US netflix account and siri searches the Australian netflix database not the US one.
    - once inside an app I wish I could use voice search for just that app.
    -i wish the ui for home libraries was totally redesigned rather than the old one copied.
  • Tim needs to give Eddy an early retirement or demote him. Such no-brainer stuff not available or not working. And don't call this a 1.0 product. This is version 4.0 and Apple has been working on it for years.
  • I picked up a 64GB one at Best Buy. ..took it back 2 days later. Every complaint above is confirmed. App.e is selling crappie now, and betting people will give them a pass because they are Apple. Posted via the iMore App for Android
  • since i'm heavily invested in Apple Ecosystem I'm keeping it. But it seems we are beta testing it, i'm sure tvOS 9.1 will be much improved.
  • Why am I returning it? This is what happened: I spent a couple hours entering, reentering, reentering User names and passwords. Finally got everything set up with Netflix, Hulu, HBOGO, etc. gathered my family around, rented a movie they been wanting to see.
    Went to the rental process paid my $5.99 fee, again having to enter my iTunes password. Set down and pressed play, and was greeted with a projected THREE HOURS for it to download enough to play. We went off and did some other stuff and allowed the download.
    Later, when I gathered the family around the set again, unpause it and was greeted with another projected 30 minute wait!
    So I promptly stopped it, unplugged it, reconnected my Chromecast, ordered the same movie for $3.99 and was watching the movie in 2 minutes!
    To Apple from someone who owns or have owned every Apple product except the Mac Pro, it pains me to say your AppleTV sucks! If you spent a few of the Billions you owned and have a team look at function instead of how to shave 0.1mm off the thickness of my phone so I can put it in a case, you might actually achieve something better than what I have to spend 15 minutes boxing up and shipping back so some other poor soul will buy on your refurbished page.
    BTW I LOVE IMORE!
  • Well thats more a apple backend issue. Hopefully one day Apple will work out how to serve streaming video.
  • I agree that it's Apple approach to the way they manage backend. I can easily stream from Roku and Chromecast. Hulu and Netflix quality is as good as can be expected. I so wanted to be able to include an AppleTV in my setup so me and my wife can cut the cord and combine our iTunes music, our photos library and be able to watch videos and movies on one set top box, but not providing a streaming ability to movies and TV shows means I have to be able to anticipate hours ahead on what I'll be wanting to watch. I chatted with others and they indicate that this is not new to AppleTV 4 -- that The previous versions did/do the same, but I can't say that's for sure.
  • I have this same problem and always have had it, even with the current Apple TV. It is indeed a backend issue, but this is why I always download movie purchases and watch them locally. It's really a shame that Apple tries to trick you into not downloading stuff and is basing it's devices & services on this cloud streaming because it simply doesn't work in many areas. And I'm sitting downtown in one of the biggest cities in North America on a 50 Mb connection. It's not the USA, which might be the problem, but it's not like I live in Afghanistan or Africa. If a customer has access to broadband, this stuff should just work. It currently does not.
  • I agree. If I was having the same struggle with the other services, I'd say it was with my ISP. But being thay Netflix and Hulu can do its so well leaves me to conclude that its Apple's approach to streaming. Netflix is able to stream me shows with no problem. I've heard good things about the updated Roku 4, so I'll give that a try. Tx
  • Wow! I'd take it back too. That sucks. I recall having that issue years ago on my first ATV and my mac for a couple of months, but haven't had it since - For years everything I order from iTunes is available to watch right away, and no fuzzy start up. It's clearly not your ISP - but while it is clearly an Apple system failure, it's also not the ATV. - or did you have an earlier ATV model or mac that didn't have that problem and now you do. So much for 'it just works.' Fortunately it still works for me, but it makes it hard to recommend with that variety of experience.
  • #3 - Home Sharing Siri support Spot on. Sent from the iMore App
  • Indeed, the Remote App needs to be properly updated yesterday! It has an even bigger problem - it doesn't support Apple Music on iTunes!!!
  • "Unfortunately, you can't use the microphone built into the Siri Remote for anything other than Siri dictation—no apps can access it." If you download smule's Sing app and connect to the same wifi as the TV, you can use your iPhone as a mic :)
  • Homesharing support not improved, no optical audio, no Siri search of my own content are deal-breakers. Still waiting for any reviewer to test if the unit works with no Internet connection and if it is still possible to hide away iTunes store content....
  • I'm wondering if the Home Sharing support being dropped was a last minute thing. Several early unofficial reviews claimed that it was indeed possible to search your Home library. I can't see how search is even halfway useful without it. Possibly it would require Apple allowing people to access the meta-tags on their own purchased content, something they have been stonewalling their customers over for about five years at least. Anyone who has a mix of purchased and ripped content in their library knows that none of the real meta tags that Apple uses are editable and that the "genre" and so forth tags they allow you to edit are just for show. It's been this way for many years now, probably at the behest of the content companies. I think Apple has a clear conflict of interest in that they are the "middle man" between the content companies and the consumers and are basically not in charge or even able to advocate for their own customers.
  • I've never seen anybody say that searching Home Shared libraries was possible in early versions. do you have any links to such reviews?
  • I wonder if some of this hardware is not already in the new Apple TV, they just have not,turned it on. I will get mine Nov 2nd. We shall see. Sent from the iMore App
  • Well it's a much bigger box! You'd hope so!
  • I assume this thing can only get better, and I do kinda sorta want to play Crossy Road and Galaxy on Fire on the big screen. I'm not buying one until they fix the way you authenticate to cable tv channels. Why couldn't this be done in a single web page on your computer or mobile and saved to iCloud? If the answer is "because of the providers," that's still not compelling enough for me to buy one of these now. Until then, I've got my TiVo, my appleTV 3, and all these "proper" game consoles.
  • I wish there was a master setting for my satellite provider so I don't have to verify it for every single app.
  • Well. I was going to add "4K support" and "four bluetooth controllers" to the wishlist, but given the complaints on this list, I'm going to instead say, "No new features until you fix your bugs, Apple!". My Apple TV arrives next week, but after this article my heart is filled with trepidation, instead of anticipation. Also, people can blame Eddie for a crap product, but what's more disturbing is that Apple senior management either didn't clue in to the problems, or worse, they identified problems could not rectify them before shipping. Luckily, we are but a software update away from having most of these issues fixed.
  • Episode view much different!
    Harder to figure out which you have watch and have not!
    Bummed about that. Kinda also feel keyboard not ideal .... Still Was a bday present, happy didn't buy it personally Sent from the iMore App
  • My brand new Apple TV won't work with my brand new iPhone 6s ... but my brand new Roku 4 works with my iPhone just fine. Guess which one is going back .....
  • In what way won't your iPhone 6s work with it? Can you natively send AirPlay via the iPhone to the Roku 4?
  • I love it!!! No real complaints. I honestly only see this device getting better over time. Every week there are going to be new apps added. I cant wait to see this expand. I also like that many of the purchased apps from my for my phone and iPad did not require an additional purchases.
  • A lot of smart comments have been made about how Siri should support x, y, or z. So how about this: I live in Ireland, and my Apple ID enforces Irish settings on my Apple TV. Notwithstanding that these regional settings use the same English language as our neighbours, and even though we can routinely use Siri on the iPhone (set to UK English, bingo), on the Apple TV we get no Siri support whatsoever. Not a sausage. Why not? I get that there are content restrictions around territorial licensing, and I know that the universal searching will be localised in some ways around specific local content, but how hard can it be to switch on Siri support for just the basic stuff? That couldn't possibly suck any more than not having Siri at all.
  • Several omissions: the iOS Remote app is not updated for new remote features. btw, I accidentally discovered that a programmable remote with the old remote keys still works with ATV4 for basic navigation. The (non password) text entry fields should allow Siri dictation. This is so obvious I can only hope it was just not ready in the final rush to ship and not a case of never planned. The Computer app is unchanged from ATV3 (or ATV2 for that matter), it displays music and video in a local iTunes library but has no music, movie, TV show text search let along integration with Siri search. No categories. It looks like Apple abandoned the DIY users that have curated movie and TV content. This does not look like it will change so my guess is DIY users will switch to Plex which moves them further from Apple’s primary ATV goal to make more content revenue… by ignoring DIY users they are more likely to keep them away from the obvious Apple agenda to sell more movies and TV episodes. btw the new Simple X app is awesome and takes the sting out of some notable ATV4 launch deficiencies.
  • 1. Text input, as you so eloquently stated in #1, sucks on the new Apple TV. Apple needs to update the Remote app and allow Bluetooth keyboards including oh I don't know... The freaking keyboard they just updated! 2. Authorizing apps store purchases - Again because of #1 entering your password is annoying. I would like to set it up so that a password is required, but I also don't want to go through the annoying process of entering it multiple times using only the Siri remote. Apple has been touting continuity and Touch ID that it really boggles the mind why they didn't include a Touch ID sensor on the remote or come up with a way to authenticate using an iOS device that has it. 3. App Organization I've had my new Apple TV less than 24 hrs and already my home screen is a hot mess of apps. It would be extremely useful (to me at least) if Apple would come up with a better way to organize apps other than just one continuous home screen. Give us additional home screen pages and/or folders or some other way to keep apps organized by category. There aren't even a ton of apps yet for Apple TV and I'm already seeing this as an issue. 4. App Store - Right now finding apps on the App Store sucks. Can we please get some categories and an explore function? Also, app previews made a ton of sense on the iOS App Store and they make even more sense on the tvOS App Store. 5. Expanded Siri Functionality - I have gone through the painful process of adding metadata to my movie collection in my iTunes library and it would be really nice to include results from my library in my Siri searches. I know the article mentioned potential privacy concerns, but I don't see any concern. If there are allow users to opt in. Would also like to be able to use Siri to search the App Store or at least dictate vs having to "type" w/ the included remote. 6. Other - Apple did a great job with the UI for iTunes movies, but I hate that movies from my library that I didn't get through the iTunes Store aren't included here and I have to select my computer. I want all of my movies in 1 place like they are in iTunes on my computer. Hopefully Apple will add this, but if not I'll just abandon iTunes on my Apple TV once Plex adds their app. And lastly, drop the requirement that developers have to support the Siri remote for game play. The Siri remote works great for games like bowling, tennis, and other games that utilize motion, but I'm afraid Apple's going to hold back game devs from going all in on Apple TV with this stupid requirement. Let's be honest, a game like call of duty or other first person shooters would be terrible to play with the Siri remote. Just make game devs include, somewhere that everyone will notice, a disclaimer that a 3rd party remote is required for game play. Or Apple could take even more of my money by making their own, proper, game remote and charging me a premium for it. I would happily give them even more of my money for it. Sent from the iMore App
  • Touch ID would be good, I always found pairing blue-tooth keyboard for entering long passwords. The new search looks, and probably the only way to do it so search can be everywhere, but those coming from the old layout where its all organized on the left.
  • I can unlock my Apple Watch with Touch ID on my phone, maybe there's a way they can do it with authorized devices.
  • I'm thinking that the fact that they are allowing Plex on the Apple TV, and that they have basically treated local media libraries with disdain for many years now, means that Apple is actually (silently), abandoning their old users. The kind of user Apple has been actively promoting for years, who buys media, downloads it to their local library and plays it using iTunes as a "digital hub," is now persona non grata as it were. We're being abandoned like old newspapers and Plex is being allowed in to pick up the slack on those users. Apple seems to have completely moved to a streaming model, where no content is really "owned" per se and where everything is stored in the cloud. They will never have the guts to come out and say this, but it's happening all the same. The corporate content owners have won. This is the deal that Apple has made with them for access to the media. No one "owns" anything anymore and we will all have to "buy," and re-buy our content multiple times over the years until we eventually die, at which point it all goes back to the corporate content owners. Welcome to the new world. Amazingly (to me) most people are okay with this. Go figure.
  • If you're bitterly disappointed at the same dusty old UI for Home Sharing, get yourself a copy of Plex and the $3 Simplex app. It puts Apple's stuff to shame, assuming you a well organized media library with full metadata.
  • I thought in the past the AppleTV was going to support HomeKit but since I seem to see no mention of this I will assume no. I have enough streaming devices but I had been holding out for a HomeKit hub. Oh well
  • ok,, i have another one... have search available to Home sharing as well... I wouldn't even mind its not in universal search, just some type pf search.. This has always been a overdue issue.... Maybe Apple just doesn't want users to search their stuff and would rather a very long list of movies, TV shows, photos and/or music? My second request would be to then add home sharing to universal search ..
  • Make Siri available for all countries. My country has had Siri on iOS for a long time already but not on the Apple TV. There is no point in me upgrading without it as its not that much of an upgrade without it. Sent from the iMore App
  • Thanks everyone for ruining be excitement of new tech. I realize it's never good enough, but maybe let a little dust collect on the new set top box before we start collectively nitpicking the hell out of it. This is a fan site right? Could have misread this as Android Central for a second there.
  • Serenity's closing comment in this article is "What do you want to fix about the Apple TV?" Seems the comments are responding to her request.
  • True. I guess my beef is more with the article itself. I haven't gotten mine yet and now I wish I hadn't read this article in the first place. But my gripe is still valid- why is a fan site inciting people to complain about the products it claims to be a fan of? Just enjoy the damn thing!
  • This is such a silly comment. Let's all be quiet about things that can be better, because you know, if it comes from Cupertino, it must be perfect. I bought the new Apple TV, and I share every one of the concerns brought up in this article. In fact, there is more that's wrong with it. It's a great product, but it needs some software refinement.
  • I admire Serenity and imore for stimulating the discussion here. Even though I'm loving the overall experience on my unit, it's important for us and Apple to see what the problems for many users. And to recognize that despite this being apple TV 4, there's plenty of room for improvement, as well as noting some things that people were used to (home sharing, remote app, bluetooth keyboards) being dropped. If you want a surprisingly positive review, read the usually critical Brian X Chen in the NY Times. He sees beyond the current situation to the potential of the device. That potential will be realized sooner if we point out both larger and smaller issues now.
  • I think because just because we buy anything we have a view to enjoy stuff......... But ya, i kinda agree. users don't think like that, but Apple sure does... You'll buy it and enjoy what we give u.. There are allot of Apple products i like using, but i question Apple and some of their ways.... But the fact i keep buying obviously doesn't deter me much, otherwise i wouldn't buy.
  • Can't criticize on a fan site? Hand jobs only? This is by far the worst product Apple has released. A 30 dollar chromecast does everything better than Apple TV. Roku blows this out of the water. Both work with iPhone. Sent from the iMore App
  • I agree with all of your suggestions, especially allowing Siri to search my local iTunes library. Here are two more: let me pick which of my iTunes playlists appear on the Apple TV. I use smart playlists and loved the ability on the first gen Apple TV to pick which ones it synced. The other is allow me to turn off the continuous play of shows in my local library. If I doze off while watching a TV show from my local library three more episodes have come and gone before I wake up. (Same suggestion for my iPad Air 2 along with showing TV show art like it used to.)
  • In regards to there is no Bluetooth for keyboard after the initial setup, i would bet (knowing Apple) they would only let the newer release keyboards work only, then maybe allow previous ones later.. I could never image using Apple TV without a physical keyboard for entering any long password. even a short complex password.. since remote is not the ideal solution due to limitation alone in this area.
  • Bluetooth is a spec, there is no reason why a new Bluetooth keyboard would be required over an old Bluetooth keyboard. That said, support for text entry via an iOS device, like the older "Remote" application had, would be a workable solution too. Apple just needs to update it for support. And one day it'd be nice if TouchID on our iPhones (along with iCloud Keychain) could serve as authentication for the various TV apps...
  • Everyone should go here: https://www.apple.com/feedback/#mn_p and make your suggestions.
  • Thanks! I never thought about this! So much to say!
  • My complaint is that this article is "too soon." Most people who ordered one, and I'm one of them, haven't actually received it yet. How can you possibly get a handle on what's missing by asking people only one single day after it's availability? For instance based on the controls on the remote, it would seem that skipping songs on a playlist would be a nightmare compared to the old Apple TV, but I can't say that it is, because I haven't seen it yet. You're going to get a lot of phantom complaints from people who haven't actually got it yet but have "heard stuff" and a lot of praise from developers and early adopters that has nothing to do with the question posed by the article.
  • And also what does all of this complaining, informed or otherwise, accomplish exactly? The new Apple TV is 10x better than the previous one. Let's allow that to be good enough for at least a minute.
  • I know Apple TV is not a streaming on demand device like a PVR but i like those commentary and behind the scenes of actors etc..... It's probably close to one those. I dunno how, if Apple could even to this to an Apple TV,,,, probably not possible.
  • I want to see 4K support to advantage of my 4K panel. I really don't want to buy a Roku or the Amazon box.
  • I can say, the Roku's UI is horrible compared to the ATV4 (If that is what you mean), but the content and streaming video you receive from the Roku 4 is a a real HD to UHD experience, an overall higher quality stream (very impressive), with lots of content to chose from... I wouldn't be quick to eliminate the Roku 4 just because it doesn't have dazzling icons for the user interface. I bought a Roku 4 recently, was extremely surprised and overwhelmed with it, am going to take back the ATV4 and hold on to the ATV3.
  • I wish Apple would add a web browser, and let developers create them. Puffin native on the Apple TV would be awesome. (I also wish Content Blockers on iOS was't limited to Safari, why can't I add them to other browsers?)
  • For me your #3 is hands down #1. It's a shame this shortcoming of ATV is hardly ever mentioned by reviewers. I have a large local video and music library and I want to be able to search it quickly. Also, what privacy issues??
    The search index can be stored locally. That's how it already works when siri searches music on my iphone. It works even if you are not subscribed to itunes match or Apple Music and did not buy your music on the itunes store. There is no reason the same can't be done for local Home Shared itunes libraries. even ATV 3 has an ability (notwithstanding terrible UI) to search music on home shared libraries. just let the universal search hook into that.
  • I agree that the Remote App needs to support the 4th gen ATV. Here we all are trying to use strong passwords and entering those on the new remote by hand is painful and frustrating (especially when you mess up 1 character etc) to say the least. At least with the Remote app you could always copy and paste from 1 PASSWORD etc and save the hassle. Hopefully Apple is planning on updating this Remote App soon and just did not have it ready in time because right now lack of that functionality is a step back in my opinion. Also I don't see profiles supported on the new ATV which is a shame for deployment purposes but I may be missing something there. Also the fact that the Podcast app doesn't exist at the moment was also a shame, hopefully that too is coming back. In a number of ways I think we all agree that the 4th gen has some amazing features and certainly ton of potential but there are also a number of ways it appears (at least currently) to be a step back. Almost as if this wasn't quite ready for launch but had to be to meet the Oct deadline.
  • The words that keep coming up are "not ready". I have never worried in the past about ordering an Apple product sight (and review) unseen and have never been more disappointed. This product should have been able to do everything the last generation did only better with new features, as well. This is a complete mystery...since this product is never going to move the needle for Apple financially why risk alienating your fans? Dumb, dumb...
  • Uhhhhh...Amazon prime anyone?! Sent from the iMore App
  • I'm betting Amazon isn't making that available to Apple - they want people to buy fire and roku, where there is no direct competition from iTunes. But absolutely, if Amazon (who won't even sell the ATV) would make an app available, it would be a very important addition.
  • According to Apple, not having Amazon Prime on the Apple TV is the decision of Amazon.
  • Franz, can you verify or back your comment from a source? I have heard a completely different version...
  • The price in Canada is what I'd fix.
  • No it's not good.. Would not recognise iPhone or iPad for set us so forced to do it manually. Time after time I needed to enter details and by the most out of date method know using the poor remote. After that frustration I thought I would play asphalt 8. 10 minutes to download and I get 30 down on cable internet. Interface is outdated and rubbish, input is worse than poking your own eyes out with a stick, remote is laggy and slow. I have just put it back in its box and it's going back to Apple.. Piece of outdated but expensive rubbish. Sent from the iMore App
  • I downloaded asphalt in less than a minute?? Remote can be a bit laggy at times but for the most part works pretty great. Smooth and precise back and forward scrubbing on TV streaming and volume control on receivers work awesome. Would love to be able to set up a workflow for the Home button, i.e. turning on ATV turns on the TV and switches inputs on my receiver to the one needed for the ATV. Switching off the ATV switches inputs on the receiver back to my cable box. Apple Remote app on iPhone and Watch needs to be updated to support ATV4 yesterday.
  • The TV is a communal device for the entire family but at the moment you need that one primary Apple ID to act as the "ATV overlord account". The ATV needs to provide for multiple user accounts, with the ability for users to select automatic sign-on or to secure their account with device authentication from their Apple Watch and/or iPhone via Touch ID. With the authentication option, after selecting their name on the ATV, the user will receive a prompt from the ATV on their personal device(s) asking to authenticate their sign-on. This will enable different users to set up their apps and services to suit their personal needs and preferences. Furthermore, signing in with your ID will auto sign in to that user's Apple ID for Game Centre and Apple Music. The way its set up at the moment everyone needs to use my GC account and would have to listen to my music once Apple Music is up and running.
  • This.
    My sentiment, exactly. I have a family of 4, and we are all gamers, to varying levels. The current UI for logging into iTunes Family accounts is great (but buried one level too deep in Settings > Accounts > iTunes... or GameCenter or iCloud). But I shouldn't have to have my 10 year old log into 3 different accounts just so she can login to the  TV when it's her time to play Crossy Roads or watch a movie.
    Additionally, Restrictions should be setup to be user-sensitive. If an adult is logged in, then ask for the restriction passcode ONCE per wake cycle. If a child is logged in, ask for it each time restricted materials are accessed, and perhaps even remove apps from view if not allowed by the parent. And these restrictions should filter into apps -- Netflix or HBO Now should respect the movie or TV show ratings as specified by the parental controls, and not just block the app until a passcode is entered; if I allow my child access to HBO Now by entering my passcode, I don't want them going from watching Despicable Me to Katy Morgan's Sex Toys without being blocked.
    The current multi-user setup of the  TV 4 is pathetic and surprisingly bad, considering it came from Apple.
  • I'm glad I didn't jump on this new Apple TV it seems like there is a lot missing. Sent from the iMore App
  • I have to say that the comments I have read, on Apple fan sites no less, have been less than stellar. I have read the reviews which state that the Apple TV is the best streaming box out there, then the comments in which people are really disappointed. I am kind of glad that I decided not to pick one up.
  • Then you are missing out. The usage of apps is brilliant. The UI is beautiful and logical. The media streaming is top notch. The voice recognition is integrated and excellent.
    Can it be improved? Yes. Is it already great? Yes. Those are not mutually exclusive.
  • What device are you using? SIRI won't search your local content, music, or many apps like NBC. It keeps bring you to iTunes to buy something. No Podcast app, something that has been on all other Apple TVs. The UI is not that much different. Streaming is no better than on the Apple TV 3 and I have very fast internet. Quality of streaming is much poorer than my satellite TV.
  • Totally agree on remote. That has to change with new phone app and keyboard blue tooth. Also, some of my past purchases are not showing up.
    And what's with not being able to access photos? All I get are shared folders. Overall, iam pleased but changes are called for.
  • Definitely room for improvement. I agree with all of the suggestions brought up in this article. It definitely feels like version 1.0.
  • The Music functionality on the new Apple TV is a massive retrograde step compared to what was available on the previous generation. My main use-case (especially when entertaining guests at home) is to use "Genius" to create a nice playlist based on a track chosen from my Home Sharing iTunes library. Then after 5 minutes I like to see a screensaver showing all the lovely Album Artwork from my Home Sharing iTunes library. In ATV4, the Genius functionality seems to be completely absent! (I miss it so badly) In ATV4, the Album Artwork screensavers also seem to be completely absent! How hard can it be? Also, scrolling down the long Artist list hasn't improved, and I'd even say it is now a bit worse as there's no way to keep the down-button pressed (to keep scrolling) and now you have to repeatedly swipe hundreds of times to get to the bottom of the list. Even when things improve via updates, I have a horrible feeling that Apple is going to focus primarily on its Apple Music service and users who want to use their Home Sharing iTunes libraries will be left behind as second class citizens).
  • I'm positive album artwork is still an option for the screensaver.
  • I can't see any option to use CD album artwork as a screensaver. I see a Home Sharing section but it only contains Photos-related options.
  • I agree. I've also posted recently that for some unfathomable reason, the prior convention of showing Music Video's by artist has been abandoned so they are now displayed alphabetically by title. Don't like or understand this change.
  • overall dissappointment so far, the missing keyboard/remote support, then no optical out. I used the ATV3 optical out to convert the optical to analog RCA sonos bridge in, so i could use the apple tv as the airplay hub. gues what, i cannot do that any more with ATV4 because I cannot get the analog audio out of it. the HDMI audio extractor also worked with ATV3, but not with the new ATV4, so i cannot use this trick either, the picture is just black with it. so either throw out all the sonos setup or new ATV4? i will use ATV3 and sonos together thank you. siri does not work for me here in spain anyway, wtf do i get with ATV4 really, some crappy games and apps? even the ATV4 netflix app does not know where i stopped viewing my movie last time, all the rest of the clients do...
  • On the topic of Netflix, there is no way to view categories on the Apple TV 4. This means that the only content I can watch is what has been "suggested" to me, or alternatively I have to search for a specific movie. Even my PS3 Netflix app has basic categories functionality.
  • Seems a little odd that you can't plug the lightning cable into it and charge your remote (and indeed any other device you may want to).
  • Apple needs to add Sling TV. Since they can't figure out how to bring Live TV, yet.
  • They even took away Sky News live TV, it is not in the new App Store... So sad!
  • I would love to see the safari browser be added to Apple TV. Can't imagine that would be very hard to do. Sent from the iMore App
  • Just received mine today and so far I'm kinda underwhelmed. There are some great new features YES, but I have to do more typing with the remote than previous versions of Apple TV.
    Let's hope Siri gets better with searching all apps and voice dictation is added when using any search fields in all apps. Apple at the least should release an updated Remote App so we can use our phones to do typing like on previous AppleTV models. Siri more or less needs to have the same capabilities wether it be on your iPhone or New AppleTV. Much better Siri integration is definitely needed. I pretty much stopped exploring and downloading apps because it was such a pain with all the typing of passwords.
    Good review. Thanks!
  • I like the way Apple TV 3 worked. With the Apple TV 4 you have to search the App Store for Hulu, and others, and enter your username, and password again. It took me four times to set up wifi, and I was careful in putting in the right code each time. I am getting use to it, but out of the gate it should have Bluetooth keyboard ability. Most of us have them. Sent from the iMore App
  • I was shocked when I set this up, I plugged in my Apple ID, and it never even cared or recognized me personally. What a senseless way to introduce a new iOS without having the capability to recognize the user. Really bad IMO, they sat on this for years and this is what they offer us, I am just so amazed... By the way, I kept my Apple 3, thank goodness.
  • Does anyone know of an app or way to get notifications of new episodes posted or live new episode on now so I can tune into them? I spent 3 hours watching TWIT TV last night but want ATV to function more like my DVR for that content. Seems like a fairly easy thing to do but not sure if it needs to be at app level or TVOS level.
  • Lack of a Remote app AND Siri search support for Home Sharing content (surely, that search index could be stored/parsed locally, like Proactive in iOS 9) make this thing a non-starter for me, at this point, which is really sad. I was so excited. I also don't see how they don't have multi-profile support, yet. Even NINTENDO has that part figured out. The Wii U interface for user profiles (also, Netflix) is exactly the route the Apple TV needs to take, with optional passcode(/Touch ID via the Remote app they need to build) to restrict access to a particular profile. They've had FOUR YEARS to get the software situation sorted out on this thing. This whole venture needs to be folded into the standard hardware and software development process (Jony and Craig), ASAP. And, for the love of GOD, can we please not let Eddy Cue be in charge of actually implementing ANY software or online services initiatives, ever again?!
  • I bought my  TV 3a when they lowered the price to $69 and I love it! The more I hear about this new version, the less I want one, if only because of the 'on-boarding' experience. Maybe next year. Maybe. When I do get one I'll get the big one (better too much than not enough, whatever the reason) and I'll add a drop of silicone to the underside of the front end of the remote so I can tell if I'm holding it right in the dark. Sent from the iMore App
  • Maybe I'm "doing it wrong", but there does not appear to be any "trick-play" features. (fast-forward, slo-mo, etc..) ATV3 had it. Also, chapter navigation seems missing, at least on Home Sharing content.
  • slow-mo ? u mean when u can rewind fast forward slowly when paused?
  • I want to be able to dictate into text boxes!
    Typing with that damned remote is driving me nutso! It was quicker for me to open my phone, search YouTube, and airplay the video I wanted to watch than even start to perform the search on the Apple TV.
    Using the onscreen keyboard should be reserved as punishment for heinous crimes.
  • Technically speaking, lack of optical out is a dealbreaker for me. Of course, if my ATV3 dies and I HAVE to buy an ATV4, I at least know I can get a rather inexpensive audio extractor.
  • How could you fail to mention that there is no Podcast app on the new Apple TV. How could Apple, as Tim Cook claimed to have "worked really hard and really long" on the new Apple TV and leave out something that has been on all prior Apple TVs? Why can't you verify your TV subscription once and then have the Apple TV use that for all the apps that require it such as NBC, CBS, instead of making you verify every single one. The future of TV as Tim Cook claimed? Not as it currently is. I have Dish with Sling and it is far easier for me to use than the new Apple TV, and also the quality is far superior, even though my internet is 60 Mpbs.
  • No Amazon prime, no sale. Simple as that. It may be out of apples control, but I need a box that supports it. Sent from the iMore App
  • I king of go with what you say, I enjoy Amazon Prime on my Roku 4, which by the way is far superior than the Apple TV 4 as far as content, USB Device support, and overall better quality video, but I never think Apple would ever install, or allow to be installed a competitor's application to run on their device. That being said, it is sad that Apple is so Apple-Centric in it's approach to the consumer... Nice post!!!
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  • I am really hoping that Apple will introduce some further granularity for how much Siri there is. We use the AppleTV for playing music from my local iTunes library and having Siri announce each and every song in a playlist has gotten old very fast. If there is a way to curtail Siri's enthusiasm to announce everything all the time I have yet to find it.
  • It needs mkv support so I don't have to use another program or convert files anymore. Also scrolling through all my movie titles is terrible. It would be nice if they added an easier way to find your movie.
  • Great article. For those who live outside US like me, you can access Netflix, Hulu and similar media stations on your Apple TV by using UnoTelly or similar tools.
  • I have purchased second Siri remote. But I just noticed that The Apple TV's Gen 4 has limitation, it's can paired with only Siri Remote. This is holding me back from multiplayer games. How to fix this?
  • I just purchased this, upgrading from the 3, and let me tell you, as an avid Apple fan for many years, spending mucho bucks, this was my worst purchase from Apple, by far. It really is not much different than the Apple TV 3 (I'm glad I still kept it), other than a faster processor that can make icon apps look fancy. Having Siri in this piece of crap is absolutely useless. It never did anything I commanded it to do, then realized by the screen, SIRI is seriously dysfunctional and has horrible TV manors. There is absolutely no upgrade in picture quality over the 3, the apps in the 4's app store have not been updated to meet the new standards of iOStv (What Apple technicians are calling the new Apple TV's operation System. Those who loved the HBO GO app, well guess what, it plays better on the 3 than on the 4. Remember the shorter series on HBO that lasted only 30 minutes, like GIRLS, Getting On, and the Apple TV 3 would play them on "Auto-Play" sequentially, one episode after another? That is gone, or yet to be re-written into the latest version of the HBO GO app in iOStv. Why in the world would Apple make so much hype about this revolutionary device for watching TV when it cannot go beyond 1080P? I mean really, why does Apple think we need to be restricted to "their" standards of what "they" think how we should watch TV? When I unraveled the device from the box, set it up, plugged it in, wow, I was amazed that I had to actually download each app for each channel, with each premium app playing less sophisticated in 4 than in 3. I then plugged in my Apple ID, nada. It never recognized anything from me personally, and I still pay for iTunes Match, extra iCloud services, etc.. I honestly don't think, when comparing another brand that has a 4th series, this device is even spitting out 1080P, real 1080P. Other devices of its kind have now entered the world of up-scaling to UHD - 4K, and by far, the Apple TV 4 device was the lest sharp display. I am just amazed, as I say, being an Apple fan for years, Apple really let me down with this release. Maybe it was a premature release for Apple and they could have waited till they garnered enough developer support dollars to create a much more content rich app store. They even unplugged Sky News... I loved streaming news when I wanted it!
    This is going back to the retailer who sold me it, back on their shelves, not mine!
    When Apple will get their blank together, maybe I'll re-purchase it, only for the dazzling icons.... Amazed!
  • I bought mine because of degrading WiFi performance on several Gen 2 boxes. No complaints about the improvement I've noticed in the ATV 4. Everything is right there, right now! So far, my only complaint is that with older Apple TVs, My Music/Music Videos was organized by artist. Now the only display I can get is by Title of the music video, alphabetically. I don't a) understand why it was changed and b) like it.
  • Siri being able to voice search my apple home sharing movie library would be the best option to have but outside of that I would like to have an alphabet ribbon on the right side of the list of movies with the ability to jump to first letter of the movie like on the iPhone contacts list. I have a rather large library of movies and to use the touch scroll to scan thru all of my movies to get to "X-Men" is ridiculous. Much easier to scroll to the letter X (one swipe of the thumb) then scroll thru the X's until i find the movie. Takes much too long to scroll from A to X one movie at a time. Ugh!
  • Ive seen the future of TV - it's called Bit Torrent - you know the thing everyone does and nobody wants to talk about. All the paid solutions suck so hard people will just pirate. I'd pay $50/month for something like Netflix that actually had proper movies and TV on it I want to watch. Until then - you know what's everyone's gonna do...
  • I cannot believe there isn't a decent calendar app!!?? It would be extremely useful to be able to quickly pull up a calendar that could show a merge of my family's calendar. Who has practice tonight? Is there an important appointment tomorrow? When was that meeting? All on the big screen. Guess I'll just have to learn to make apps; I'd probably be able make a fortune on such a calendar. I can't be the only one missing this function?