The Apple television receiver is like that old friend from college — somewhat cool , but always crash in your support elbow room . Its discrepant stability , frustratingly anemic content offer , and want of robust input methods have keep it from becoming what Apple enthusiasts long swore it would be : the iPhone of telly countersink - top boxes . Though its port and computer hardware continue to evolve , the little bootleg box faces real competition from faster - moving musician that are provide more , like the Roku 3 andthe newfangled Fire TVfrom Amazon .
The past (and getting passed)
The original Apple TV was basically an iTunes accouterment for your television , which had to be synchronise with content from your media library ; it was later alter via software package update to be a abide - alone gimmick . But it was n’t until 2010 , when the 2d generation of the twist got a unadulterated hardware and software overhaul , that things really have exciting . Now running on a version of iOS and relieve of its hard parkway , the loge became significantly small , light , and brassy , and shifted solely to cyclosis - establish functionality .
The second - propagation Apple TV remove the hard driving force , substantially slimming down the equipment .
Given the overpowering succeeder of Apple ’s other iOS devices , and particularly that of the iOS App Store , the obvious — to analyst and enthusiasts , at least — next step in Apple TV ’s evolution was an expansion of that universe , which would bring a wide variety of third - party game and apps to your goggle box . Four years later , however , there ’s still no clear sign that functionality is on the way . Not only are there no games , but the list of cyclosis services the Apple TVdoesprovide continues to develop at an agonizingly slow pace , while competitors with lesser experience leap - frog ahead . The small but mighty Roku is the clear winner here , offering more than 1000 transmission channel and games .
Though the fantabulous , it - just - works AirPlay communications protocol allows users to mirror the cover of an iOS gadget or Mac to the Apple TV , it ’s hardly the immersive experience that a native app would put up . Meanwhile , the offerings on the Roku 3 , though often lacking the polish of what you ’d find on the iOS App Store , are clearly build for the machine and feel at habitation there . And Amazon seems to have created its set - top boxwood , Fire TV , with the destination of making useable as many streaming military service , apps , and games as possible . So how is it that Apple , with its abundantly successful iOS App Store , continues to let the Apple TV languish ?
Failure to communicate
The last major while in the teaser of why the Apple TV continues to rag in nastiness of its clear potential is user interaction . While the sleek aluminum remote that begin shipping with the second - generation Apple TV was an improvement over the finicky plastic token that accompany the first multiplication , its reactivity is still bunglesome and slow — it bank on line - of - sight infrared engineering — and using it for textual matter unveiling is downright sore .
It ’s particularly lackluster when compared to the rival : The Roku 3 ’s less sleek but more usable remote control not only does not require rail line - of - pile but also features rudimentary gambling ascendence and a headphone jack ; Amazon ’s Fire TV offer vocalization search built into its remote control , and even sells a separate comptroller just for gaming , which makes the boxful feel like a more serious competitor in that department .
Using the Apple TV ’s remote control to enter text edition is still a very expectant hurting .
Apple ’s attempts to work this problem have n’t exactly been base runs . It released the Remote app for iOS , but despite the benefit — include an onscreen keyboard — it introduced its own complexity : lack of tactual controller , having to find your iOS gadget and found the app every time you want to use your TV , and so on . There ’s also the option of using a wireless Bluetooth keyboard with Apple TV , but keyboard for controlling gimmick in your living room have never really need off — just askMicrosoft .
The bottom line is that truly transformative apps will require an input signal method richer than affect a focus caret around the CRT screen with a click wheel , or even speaking into a remote . We still have n’t seen what a complex Apple TV app could look like — just variations on a stripped - down root word . And while the homescreen exploiter interface is decent , it ’s simplistic and would n’t scale to fit a large number of apps .
On top of all of that , the Apple TV ’s visual design needs update ; now that we ’ve all rise accustom to iOS 7 ’s slimmed - down aesthetic , the high - color aspect of Apple TV ’s interface feels dated and out of step with the sleep of the iOS world .
The promise
The unstated but inherent promise of Apple tv set — specially the iOS - base , second - generation interlingual rendition and beyond — was that we ’d be able to use a single equipment to get at flick , euphony , television receiver shows , apps , and plot on our HDTVs . orchard apple tree partisan keep expecting the Apple TV to be to set - top boxes what the iPhone was to smartphones : not the first contender , but the good — a revolution in how we experience digital media on our TVs .
While the Apple TV continues to expand its lineup of video services , games and other apps are still nowhere to be see .
Instead , the Apple TV has stumbled into an awkward center soil : rather than limiting it to first - company apps or opening it up to all third - political party developers , Apple only adds streaming Robert William Service to the political platform slowly and in an idiosyncratic manner .
The Apple TV is falling behind as competition race to do what Apple itself could in all probability do much better . Of naturally , Appleisprobably go on an update to the equipment , but given the company ’s seemingly fair - weather interest , whether that will be a nonaged revision or a major overhaul is about even money right on now . And while we ’re sitting around and wondering at what point the Apple TV will fine-tune from experiment to competition - killing set - top box seat , the companionship ’s braggy competitors are n’t waiting to get hold out .
