Grade: C (average score: 3.1, median score 3, last year: 2.1)
Our fastest mover in the survey, with a shocking increase of an entire point to the average score, is the red-hot product category of… Apple TV? Well, the score wasn’t very good to begin with, and the introduction of a new remote control really was a crowd pleaser. A C grade is still not great, but at least the bad remote is gone. Otherwise, many panelists are puzzled about the Apple TV hardware’s place in the world, given the much cheaper competition.
Charles Arthur said, “The question of why the Apple TV exists in its current form factor, rather than being a stick you can plug into the back of the TV, remains a puzzle. Is all that A-series processing power really needed to do the job? And the Bluetooth stack remains buggy – if you’re using an Apple TV for Apple Fitness and listening on Airpods, it sometimes loses the connection to one or the other.”
Guilherme Rambo said, “The new Apple TV 4K, especially the new remote, is a huge improvement over the previous model. However, I’d like a more powerful chip in there, since the software still seems to struggle quite a bit. The tvOS 15 update also came riddled with bugs, which made using the new Apple TV less enjoyable.”
James Thomson said, “The new remote is a definite improvement, but I still frequently curse while navigating the Apple TV interface with it. There was a new Apple TV too, but it was underpowered, and overpriced. tvOS itself didn’t visibly change, and still has the worst text entry system of any device I own, over a decade later.”
Michael E. Cohen said, “Oddly, I’m not very disappointed that this platform seems to be languishing in terms of development and features: I like to veg out in front of the TV, and wrestling with new features and the interfaces necessary to access them is not conducive to vegging out.”
Glenn Fleishman said, “The worst piece of hardware Apple ever made, the Siri Remote, was finally given a burial.”
Allison Sheridan said, “The remote is mildly better, but not the game changer others seem to find it. Being able to click forward and back is much better, but the Siri button is much less accessible on the side and harder to push.”
Marco Arment said, “The new Apple TV remote is a huge improvement over the previous one, which saves the Apple TV from the much lower score it would earn if tvOS was my focus this year. (At least it would be someone’s focus, because it sure seems like nobody at Apple cares much about it — or even uses it.)”
Zac Hall said, “Bravo, Apple, five stars. You fixed the remote and slightly updated Apple TV 4K. Prices are still steep, but the new remote makes up for that when rating.”
Andrew Laurence said, “The AppleTV hardware remains sufficient. If you only want a TV streamer device, it’s grossly overpriced. The Apple ecosystem brings a lot of extra value to the hardware, but does a product make sense if it’s only valuable to the Services whales?”
Stephen Hackett said, “Apple has shipped AirPlay and Apple TV+ support on dozens of non-Apple televisions and streaming boxes over the last couple of years. I really struggle to understand what sets the Apple TV apart enough to justify its high cost. But hey, at least the remote doesn’t suck anymore.”
Dan Moren said, “The new Siri Remote isn’t perfect, but it’s such an enormous improvement on its predecessor that it’s kind of amazing. The Click Wheel works great, the buttons are responsive and useful, and miracle of miracles, you can actually tell which way is up. It’s enabled me to get rid of almost all my other remotes, and live the single-remote lifestyle. Now if only tvOS would get some more improvements that aren’t just about driving people towards AppleTV+ content. Is the future of TV still apps?”
John Siracusa said, “The remote is no longer terrible! But unlike the MacBook Pros, I think the new Apple TV remote is getting by partly based on how well it compares to its execrable predecessor, rather than entirely on its own merits. The part of the Apple TV that you touch every day is no longer a punishment, but it’s still a bit too small, its buttons are still too uniform and too slight, and the touch-pad can still be tricky.”
Adam Engst said, “The Apple TV hardware is stagnant. tvOS 15 has a few improvements, I guess, but it doesn’t seem that Apple is devoting much attention to the platform. Maybe that’s OK, on the assumption that all people really want to do is watch TV. But it’s still an odd, fragmented experience that’s better when you deal with the streaming apps individually rather than try to access them through the TV app.”
Tom Bridge said, “The new Siri Remote for the AppleTV 4K is a huge step forward. The box itself remains overpriced and under-featured.”
Marcus Mendes said, “The Apple TV is in an unfortunate position to be delivering everything it possibly can to differentiate itself in a market where people don’t really seem to want this differentiation.”
Brian Mattucci said, “The new Siri remote is proof that Apple listens to its customers now and then with great success. They should do so slightly more often.”
Benjamin Mayo said, “The new Siri Remote is a fantastic upgrade that is approachable to people expecting a traditional button remote, without sacrificing the useful swipe gestures for people that are accustomed to them. I do think the remote should have included a beeper / Find My integration, an even more hilarious omission when you remember that it was announced at the same event as the AirTag. However, the overall Apple TV product still feels unsatisfactory for the price they charge. The box needs to do more, or get significantly cheaper. The tvOS software is also beginning to lag behind the modern Google TV platform when it comes to the smarts of collating a watch list across many different services.”
John Gruber said, “The new Siri Remote is great — not just great compared to the much-maligned old remote, but great period. The updated $180 A12-based Apple TV 4K box is very good. But $150 for an A8-based Apple TV HD? Come on. If Apple wants to keep selling that box, it should be $99, tops. If they want $150 to be the floor for Apple TV hardware, it should be a better computer. There’s a lot one can criticize about the tvOS experience, primarily surrounding the muddle that is the TV app. The TV apps wants to be your gateway to the whole experience, but it can’t be, with apps like Netflix not participating. But, still, I’d say the overall experience of using Apple TV and tvOS as your entertainment center is the best there is. It’s a failing of Apple’s marketing that more people don’t know just how good Apple TV is.”
Rosemary Orchard said, “I really like the new Apple TV remote, but would appreciate a range of colours and Find My integration. The Apple TV is still the priciest option out there – and while the experience is definitely really good, it’s a shame that they still don’t offer a smaller, cheaper option.”
Federico Viticci said, “If you were to ask me to recall what’s new in tvOS 15 off the top of my head, I don’t think I’d be able to answer that. The ability to see HomeKit cameras on the big screen maybe? The redesigned video player? None of this matters for me because Apple did the one thing I wanted to see in TV hardware, and they did it extremely well: they redesigned the Siri remote and brought back physical buttons. Saying that a new TV remote had a positive, meaningful impact on my daily life may sound like an exaggeration, but given the amount of TV we watch in these pandemic times, it absolutely isn’t. I love that I can easily change volume with physical buttons or navigate the tvOS UI with a clickwheel. I bought three new Siri remotes in 2021 and placed them everywhere I have an Apple TV. Is it weird to love a TV remote? Is this love the result of how much I fundamentally despised the old one? But seriously, what’s new in tvOS 15?”
Casey Liss said, “Finally, an updated Apple TV. Even as a first-gen Siri Remote apologist, I cannot deny the new, second-gen Siri Remote is leaps and bounds better in every way. Furthermore, I appreciate that Apple made it available for purchase and use with older Apple TVs. Software-wise, tvOS is… fine. I don’t actively dislike it, but nothing about it gives me any particular joy, either. It does the job, which is probably the most I can reasonably ask.”
Nick Heer said, “Was tvOS updated? Not really. Did Apple overhaul the box? No. Is it cheaper? Absolutely not. But there’s a new remote! I guess I’m grading on a curve. Also, I really like that new colour balancing feature that works with an iPhone. It didn’t change much on my TV, but the experience of using it was delightful.”