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I was super disappointed by the new Apple TV 4k announcement, and yet I still might buy it...

So, I moved into my own place 2 year ago. I already have a 1st generation Apple TV 4k that went into my bedroom. I wanted to get a new Apple TV for my living room, but I have an Xbox Series X out there. My plan was to just patiently wait for the new Apple TV to be released and use the Xbox for streaming in the meantime. I thought that announcement would come in a couple of months (since the previous one was 2 years old at this point), but another 2 years went by. I was adamant about holding out because I've been burned by Apple in the past. I bought an iPad Air only to miss out on an upgraded M1 version 3 months later. I didn't want that to happen again. I tried to play Apple's game and try to follow their release schedule, only to be met with one of their longest new product delays.

The announcement finally happened, and it was worse than I could have imagined. To be honest, I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I would have been happy with an upgraded chip and passthrough (although, highly unlikely) at a similar or even lower price. In my mind, there's no way it could get worse - no matter what the upgrade is, it will be better in some way, even if marginal. Yeah, this one has an upgraded chip, but what good does that do if it's being wasted on AI features that I don't even want? Why do I want more microphones in my home in this growing surveillance state?

At the end of the day, I still need an Apple TV for my living room and I'm in a pickle now. Part of me wants to stick it to Apple and just buy the 2nd gen, but it's $250 now. Upgrading the remote is a must since I already have everything switched over to USB-C. So, second gen + new remote is pretty much the same as just getting the new one. To be honest, the AV1 support is also enticing, and I don't want to miss out on that now.

The worst part is that if I had just bought the 2nd gen two years ago, especially when it was cheaper, I would have been perfectly happy with it. Now I'm forced into a situation where I might as well buy the new one. I suppose my other options are just looking into a used 1st or 2nd gen or just ditching Apple TV altogether and sticking to my Xbox. Part of me just wonders if AV1 support even matters since that's the only saving grace for me for the upgrade.

I am sure that it is a little embarrassing for some at Apple to have a ship date over three months out on the website. Would it have been preferable to slap up a “sold out” label on the iPhone Duo after five minutes and stop taking orders? Because that’s what most companies do, at the cost of a cohesive and consistent customer experience.

Most people will order their iPhone Duo, enjoy trick or treating with their kids, Thanksgiving dinner with the in-laws, eat a delicious Christmas goose, ring in 2027 with some champagne, and break their New Year’s resolution… all before receiving the iPhone Duo they ordered today.

And that’s actually a good thing.

This video is directed by Spike Jonze and it is perfect. No notes. One of the best ads they’ve ever released. I dare you to disagree. I got excited for a sequel when they recently reused the “Welcome Home” phrasing, but alas.

Apple is "pretty much done" with M6 chips, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated today on his podcast. Apple debuted the M6 chip in the Mac mini and has plans for an M6 iMac and entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, but the company is not planning to make M6 Pro, M6 Max, or M6 Ultra chips.

Apple will instead go from the M5 Pro, M5 Max, and M5 Ultra to the M7 lineup. The upcoming OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌ models will use the same M5 Pro and M5 Max chips Apple uses in the current ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, with no chip upgrade planned until 2027. The M5 Pro and M5 Max came out in March.

This is a bit of a rant. I had high hopes for Apple’s smart home product announcements. I wasn't expecting anything major but was looking forward to upgrading my smart home ecosystem. Needless to say, Apple dropped the ball hard.

• HomePod Mini 2

Not much to see here. It now uses AI with compatible iPhones, and if you have a bunch of them lying around your house you can assemble them into a makeshift surround sound system with your Apple TV. Admittedly, no one should be buying 4 of these instead of actual surround speakers if TV audio is your objective, but it’s a neat bonus. Price is reasonable, decent incremental update.

• HomeView

I just can’t think of a scenario where I’d rather use this over an iPad. It‘s $300 price is certainly an advantage over the $600 iPad Mini. But the Homeview is stationary and running a new OS, which may struggle to gain developer support. I’m not quite hating on it yet. Like the iPhone Air, I’d be interested to see it on display in the Apple Store, but overall it’s just not for me.

• Home Collection

I actually really like the idea of Apple-endorsed products which all integrate seamlessly into HomeKit. The problem is LG… I am completely baffled that Apple would partner with LG, whose privacy practices are the polar opposite of Apple’s claims. See Gamer’s Nexus video on LG TVs if you want to live in 1984. TLDW they record every conversation in your home, screenshot all content on your display, and send all of your personal information to their advertising servers. Do you trust that their cameras are more secure than their TVs? I feel like LG undermines the entire home collection because I can’t trust Apple’s privacy promises when LG’s track record demonstrates they will collect and sell every piece of user data they can get their hands on, user consent be damned. I do not trust them, and I will not buy any of their products even if Apple slaps their stamp of approval on it. There was one non-LG product available, so hopefully Apple will expand to more trustworthy partners in the future.

• Apple TV 4K

And the biggest let down award goes to the Apple TV! Somehow this is worse than the LG collection. For DOUBLE the price of the previous generation, you get a 2x faster processor… which is still arbitrarily limited to 4K 60Hz just like the last generation. Why would anyone want to use that extra power for 8K or 120Hz support? Forget that the HDMI 2.1 port is fully capable of it, Apple says 4K60 is all you get need. Why would Apple increase the cost with a faster chip if you‘re not using it?

OH RIGHT: AI!

IT HAS AI NOW!

DON‘T YOU WANT AI?

For real though, I fail to see how AI enhances the Apple TV in any way. I guess it now more tightly integrates with your phone, but your phone has its own AI stuff so why does the TV need it? Apple TV now also has always-on microphones that listen to you. Don’t worry, Apple pinky promises the always-on microphones that listen to you aren’t always listening to you. Personally, if the microphones can’t be permanently shut off the Apple TV is dead to me. Which is a shame given this was my most anticipated product.

Apple completely dropped the ball here. Not only is the Apple TV full of new features nobody wanted, it’s also missing highly demanded features like HDMI audio passthrough for premium home audio. While the AV1 hardware decoder is a nice to have, users can’t really take advantage of the improved bandwidth efficiency due to the 4K60 limit. Apple doesn’t think anyone uses software like Steam Link or Moonlight. Don’t worry though, at least streaming services can save a dime by serving you even less bandwidth than they were before.

All that aside, $300 is just too damn much. When all of your competitors are in the sub $100 range, you have to ask what this product does so much better... and it’s not much. A $50 Roku stick will render the same 4K 60Hz video as this $300 brick. The Apple TV is marketed as this super-capable premium streaming device, but Apple repeatedly kneecaps it where it matters most because they’re an AI company now.

There's nothing like havin an iPhone in your pocket, an AWU at your wrist, headphones on and telling Siri to call someone, calling, talking, hanging up and then asking Siri to call another person inly to hear "You need to unlock your phone first!". Well, I choose to direct my anger and frustration at all the product managers, designers and programmers that have Apple stock and live their lifes in Silicon Valley luxury while being totally bad at their jobs.