The new Apple TV is here and there are many media that are rushing to make their corresponding reviews. We are going to take a look at the small Apple device that will become the best friend of our televisions, in which we will find a touch control device, a proprietary application store and virtual voice assistance thanks to Siri. Undoubtedly, the Apple TV promises a lot and will become the multimedia center of many homes, although in Spain it is not a very popular device, we do not doubt that its new utilities will make more than one rethink why not have the small one Apple gadget under your television.
Performance and hardware
It seems to move in an agile and fluid way, it is not for the month, under the hood it hides nothing less than an A8 dual-core processor with 64-bit structure, just like the iPhone 6 Plus. It also has 2 GB of RAM to allow us never to fall short. These are the reasons that the Apple TV has increased the size with respect to its predecessor. In addition, it includes Bluetooth 4.0, an infrared receiver and the most powerful WiFi available today, to get the most out of our fiber optics.
Now comes the bad the new Apple TV does not have an optical audio output, nor AUX output, so it will only be able to output sound through HDMI, which will make many use signal splitters and the like, since it will not allow many to use their HiFi equipment because they either will not have HDMI input or will have that dedicate it exclusively to the television, an incomprehensible move on the part of Apple. Plus the new Apple TV does not support 4K video, so we will not be able to get the most out of applications like Netflix that offer content in that quality, if we have a compatible TV of course.
The € 179 version (about € 50 more expensive than in the United States) has 32 GB, as well as the superior version has 64 GB from € 229, a price difference with respect to North America incomprehensible. There is still time to pass so that we can judge how much more or less memory is going to be, depending on the applications and the content, but it seems short.
The TVOS interface
The interface has been one of the great steps of the Apple TV, logically due to the improvement under the hood. Now we can have in an instant all the titles available in the iTunes Store, as well as the entrance to its different stores. Unfortunately the App Store is not yet available, but we do not doubt that it will be from October 30 when it begins to reach the first homes. The configuration procedure according to the analysis of cultofmac It is one of the simplest so far, by pairing it with our iOS device we can save ourselves from having to enter the password for each store.
The large images and the typical intuitive way of navigating the interface will be highly familiar to Apple users, the menus are easy to understand and see, so it will not be difficult for anyone, it is the most beneficial aspect of the new Apple TV.
The new command
The new remote is a bit bigger, plus point. It has been completely redesigned and has a touch screen at the top which is also a button, like the ForceTouch but without this capacity. It also has the volume buttons, another for Play / Pause, Siri, the screen and finally the menu. Without a doubt, the prominence that the menu button is going to take on the interface is great, as well as necessary.
Thanks to the trackpad on the remote, you can easily move through the interface as well as perform the typical gestures of any Apple computer to navigate. It connects to the Apple TV through the efficient Bluetooth 4.0 and charges through Lightning and be careful, because it also includes an infrared sensor, we assume that it will have some future use. The remote control also has the typical sensors such as accelerometer and gyroscope so that we can have a great time. But do not worry, the most gamers will have many controls to be able to play their favorite games comfortably. As for the battery, a charge will offer us a month of use.
Siri, the negative point
If Siri isn't as good as it should be on iOS, imagine on TV OS, which locks up easily. Siri has no difficulty understanding what is being said to her, but she does not have the ability to execute the commands that are assumed from a virtual assistant for television. Without a doubt, Apple still has a lot to do with it. to make it all the functional that TVOS requires, but we do not doubt that in future updates it will be like that.
Conclusions
The Apple TV is precisely everything we expected from it, what users asked for a long time ago, a true multimedia center without rival, only some Android PC Box can compete with it, but an Android PC Box is an Android after all, it does not offer any optimization in order to be used in a television, and Android TVs usually come underpowered. That is why Apple TV can succeed in this area, however, its price outside the United States is prohibitive, it has around € 50 left over which should not have been the difference, we have to wait.
The new remote is included in the price, do I come with the old remote or how is it going? Greetings.
Hi, Tony. In the Spanish store, it says that it is included. In others, maybe not (Siri will only be available in 8 countries from the beginning).
A greeting.
Hi, Tony.
The remote is included in the box and the contents, like all Apple TVs. All the best.
"A true multimedia center without rival" -> here you have come up eh?
the hell we are in iphone actulidad, what do you want me to throw it to the ground ???
Will it be compatible with any television?
Look, I'm an apple fan. In fact, that's why I follow this page. (And if I had time I would even like to write an article).
But it makes me laugh that no one says the strange coincidences between the apple tv remote and the samsung smart tv remote (not the normal one, the other one) which is simpler, it is bluetooth, touch screen that is also a button, control voice. From which you can ask for a children's movie and it recommends a children's movie from the Samsung store and tells you if there is any on the air at that time, for example.
For example, my TV is two years old, so I have the feeling that apple has taken some idea as a reference.
If it had been the other way around, we would already be back with the copy. But it's funny that I haven't heard anything about this ...
By the way, in terms of mobile phones, I am anti-Samsung (I had a very bad experience) ... although this does not imply that I recognize the merits that it may have. As for tablets, there is no color; IPad, it turns 1000 times (I have ipad and tab4 at home). and on TV, at the moment from Samsung.
There is an error when using Facetime with Apple TV 4, even if you turn your iPhone to make it full screen, you see it on your screen vertically. Does anyone know how to fix it?