Being a great advocate of Apple TV and a convinced user of the Apple device, the reality is that usage data and the advancement of other platforms make a revolution in this device more and more necessary. Launched almost two years ago, the fourth-generation Apple TV is little by little lagging behind in a growing market such as Internet television.
Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast and even smartTVs are gaining ground in a business Apple has shown a lot of interest in lately., and in which he has not yet managed to find a round device that really makes users fall in love. September could be a new opportunity with a new model… why not?
Videogames and television
Apple TV is much more than a device for watching television, but it has failed to convince the majority of users of this. It is a platform in which developers can create applications or adapt existing ones for iOS, with its app store and a potentially interesting video game catalog.. The offer is completed with compatible controllers as well as a Siri Remote that works like the controls of the old Wii.
However, despite the power and performance it could become an excellent video game platform for players who do not want the power or exclusivity of a PS4 or Xbox, the reality is that as a game console it has not had the expected success. In large part because of the developed ones themselves, which have seen competition from conventional platforms that they were not interested in at all. Launching a FIFA on the free Apple TV was going to do a lot of damage to the sales of mainstream games for PS4 or Xbox, and obviously that was not interesting.
Television is something very different, and there it has found a place and has fallen in love with most of the users who have tried it. Few devices offer a more friendly and visual interface than Apple TV that complements perfectly with the Siri Remote.. Applications for streaming services such as Netflix, HBO, Hulu ... have been arriving little by little, and even Amazon will soon launch its app for the Apple device. Applications such as Infuse or Plex have allowed us to reproduce our personal library with an extraordinary interface.
Too expensive to watch TV
But if you tell someone to spend € 179 to watch TV, they think about it a couple of times. Google Chromecast costs less than a quarter, and although it does not offer the same, for many it is more than enough. To this must be added that there are more and more smartTVs at more competitive prices, and practically anyone who buys a new television incorporates their internet service.
As a complete platform (applications, games and television) offering a product at € 179 is fine, but if the apps and games have not finished taking shape, television only at that price is too high. The solution? Or rethink the apps and games with good agreements between Apple and the big developers, or give up that part and lower the price of the device. We'll see what happens in September.
You are absolutely right, I have the Apple TV 4 and although I am delighted with infuse and being able to watch my biblotieca in streaming, many people find it excessive to pay € 179 to do just that.
I play sporadically, but it is clear that it is not something that Apple has enhanced… .. Hopefully the new AppleTV 5 is much more versatile. It would also be nice to be able to use the internal memory of the device for the apps to save content there, the netflix app should be able to allow the download of chapters as it already does in iOs with the iPad and the iPhone. Lately (and thanks to Vodafone) I am having a lot of problems with ridiculous download speeds on my fiber (especially from 21:00 p.m. to 01:00 a.m.) and that entails having to watch Netflix at 480p / 360p instead of the 1080p that I was enjoying until does very little….
In short, it is what it is….