The Apple TV is a great for watching content from any number of media sources, including Netflix, YouTube and a growing and seemingly endless selection of channels from various content providers. Conspicuously absent, however, is support for Amazon’s Prime Video; which is a shame because Prime Video itself boasts an impressive selection of compelling and exclusive video content.
For some time, it’s been widely assumed that the lack of support for Prime Video on the Apple TV was rooted in Amazon’s desire to push sales of its own Fire TV set top box. This sentiment was only bolstered when Amazon in October of 2015 abruptly stopped selling the Apple TV on its website altogether.
Apple yesterday released a brand new Apple TV ad featuring Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. No, not that Michael Jordan, but rather Michael B. Jordan of The Wire, Friday Night Lights and Creed fame. Coupled with Apple’s recent Cookie Monster themed iPhone 6s ad, Apple’s advertising has certainly been on a role as of late.
While previous Apple ads featuring Hollywood personalities have been largely forgettable (ahem, Samuel L. Jackson), if not somewhat annoying, Apple’s most recent effort actually works and delivers a few laughs in the process.
Microsoft is rumored to be prepping a slimmer Xbox One console that may launch next year to compete directly against Apple’s brand new Apple TV. The product will not replace the Xbox One but complement it, and will have more limited gaming capabilities. More →
Every year, Apple publishes a list of the best apps released on the App Store over the course of the last 12 months. 2015 is no different, but this year heralded the arrival of a new operating system: tvOS. A new operating system means a new selection of apps, so along with its list of top iPhone apps, Apple has also put together a list of the best Apple TV apps. More →
Amazon will soon give customers one more reason to join its special membership program: access to even better TV content than what’s already available to Prime subscribers. The company is apparently working on adding various other online on-demand networks to Prime in a move that’s likely meant to help it better position itself against rivals including Netflix and Hulu but also Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and others. More →
I’ve been using the new Apple TV for a few days now, and like many of the early reviewers I’ve seen, I wholeheartedly agree that the device is teeming with potential. Though long considered a hobby within the company, the fourth-gen Apple TV finally appears ready to make the leap into a full-fledged product and meaningful contributor to Apple’s bottom line.
At the same time, the Apple TV does have a number of kinks that Apple will hopefully address sooner rather than later. While these gripes don’t necessarily rise to the level of being deal-breakers, they do unfortunately dampen the overall user experience.
The recently released fourth-gen Apple TV may very well become a sleeper hit for Apple this holiday shopping season. Though the device isn’t being backed by a big marketing campaign (not yet at least), the device has received favorable reviews and represents Apple’s most compelling effort to transform its tried and true hobby into a more important and lucrative part of its product lineup.
With most people set to receive the latest and greatest Apple TV sometime this week, it’s as good a time as any to run through some of the more essential tips and tricks new Apple TV owners should be aware of.
Apple’s fourth-gen Apple TV debuted this past Friday to overwhelmingly positive reviews. While there are a few minor kinks Apple still needs to work out (e.g the inability to enter a password with the iPhone’s virtual keyboard), the new device may very well be the most compelling streaming set-top box to ever hit the market.
Without question, what makes the new Apple TV so exciting is that it has its own dedicated App Store. Over the weekend, Jeff Scott of SlideToPlay tweeted that there are now close to 1,000 tvOS available for download. All the more intriguing, from a developer perspective, is that the Apple TV may very well represent a new platform where users, in stark contrast to iOS, are willing to plunk down cash for apps.
You know the race-to-the-bottom problem that continues to plague iOS? Well early evidence suggests that that won’t be an issue for the Apple TV.
One of the more intriguing and exciting aspects of Apple’s fourth-gen Apple TV is that it will support its own dedicated App Store. Seeing as how developers were able to help forge new ground in the realm of mobile computing when Apple released an SDK for the iPhone way back when, it will be extremely interesting to see what type of creative and compelling apps developers manage to come up with for the living room.
With the fourth-generation Apple TV finally shipping to consumers, Apple is spending a great deal of time getting the word out about how its upgraded set-top box is going to change the way we use our TVs.
This week, CNN’s Brian Stelter had a chance to sit down with Apple senior VP Eddy Cue to discuss the implications of the Apple TV and how a single device is going to revolutionize the television ecosystem.
Apple earlier this week started taking preorders for the brand-new Apple TV, a massive product refresh that brings over a slew of impressive features, including support for App Store apps and games, Siri support and system-wide voice-based search, and a new remote control that wants to bring Wii-like gaming to the living room.
Pricing starts at $149 for the 32GB version, and an extra $50 gets you the 64GB model instead. Now that the new Apple TV is shipping to buyers, the first reviews are in.
From the looks of it, Apple TV isn’t the perfect answer for your television needs, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction when it comes to enhancing entertainment in the living room. In time, the Apple TV platform might evolve to really become a real cable-killing set-top box if Apple ever offers its own online streaming service.
Here’s what the first Apple TV reviews are saying. More →
