Reprinted from TidBITS by permission; reuse governed by Creative Commons license BY-NC-ND 3.0. TidBITS has offered years of thoughtful commentary on Apple and Internet topics. For free email subscriptions and access to the entire TidBITS archive, visit http://www.tidbits.com/ The Fourth-Generation Apple TV Is Here at Last Josh Centers It has arrived. The long-rumored, long-speculated [1]Apple TV is officially on its way (for my past predictions, and to taste my claim chowder, see '[2]Finding Clues to the Next Apple TV in iOS 9,' 6 July 2015 and '[3]The Future of Apple TV,' 21 February 2014). Arriving in late October for $149 (for the 32 GB version) and $199 (for the 64 GB version), the fourth-generation Apple TV has improved hardware, a new remote, a new tvOS that takes Siri voice commands, and an App Store. [4][tn_Apple-TV-4.jpg] Check out the demo [5]video. IFRAME: [6]http://www.youtube.com/embed/wGe66lSeSXg 'Our vision is simple, and perhaps a little provocative: the future of television is apps,' Cook proclaimed. Let's start with the new [7]hardware. The new box (yes, it's still a black box) is a bit thicker at 1.3 inches (33 mm) tall than the second- and third-generation models, and omits the optical audio port found in the last two models. The new Apple TV will have four ports in the back: power, HDMI, and Ethernet, as well as a USB-C port for diagnostics and support. Inside is the A8 processor found in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, 2 GB of RAM, 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO, and Bluetooth 4.0. The new Apple TV does not support 4K resolutions, but it does do 1080p at 60 frames per second. [8][tn_Apple-TV-4.jpg] But even more impressive than the box is the new Siri Remote, which is a reimagining of the previous Apple Remote. It features dual Siri microphones, a glass touch surface, Menu and Home buttons, a new Siri button to activate Siri voice control, and even volume buttons to control your TV or receiver's volume. Also built in are Bluetooth 4.0, an IR transmitter, accelerometer and gyroscope, and a rechargeable battery. The Siri Remote uses a Lightning connector for recharging, but you shouldn't have to do that often: Apple claims that the Siri Remote can last for 3 months on a single charge! tvOS -- Based on iOS 9, but, as Eddie Cue put it, 'designed for the living room,' the new tvOS doesn't look all that different from what Apple TV aficionados are already accustomed to. However, there are now neat parallax animations for icons. Though behind the on-screen facade are all of the existing Apple TV apps, Apple says they've been redesigned. [9][tn_tvOS-main-menu.jpg] The interface has been retooled for the new touch surface on the remote and for Siri, allowing you to rewind and fast-forward with swipes on the touch surface instead of with presses on the directional ring found in the previous remote. Siri on the Apple TV looks as though it will be even more impressive than I had imagined. Of course you'll be able to open apps with Siri, but you can also search for movies and shows by name, director, actor, or even age rating. And that search works with not only iTunes content, but also Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Showtime, with more services on the way. With Siri, you will be able to narrow down your search like this: 'Show me some movies,' then 'Show me some James Bond movies,' and then, 'Just the Sean Connery ones.' You can ask Siri stuff like, 'What are some good movies to watch with kids?' What may be the killer feature of the new Apple TV is, 'What did she say?' Ever watch a show, and miss a line of dialog? On the new Apple TV, you'll be able to ask Siri, 'What did she say?' (or 'What did he say?') and Siri will rewind the video 15 seconds and turn captioning on. I know that will get a lot of use at my house. You can also ask Siri for information about a video as you watch it, and you can even ask Siri for a weather forecast, which will be displayed on the screen alongside the video. You can then swipe up to pause playback and see the full weather forecast. [10]Image The new Apple TV interface also includes high-definition slow-motion video screensavers, shot exclusively for the new device. These screensavers have day and night scenes, and display based on the time of day. Of course, Apple Music and Apple Photo Library will (finally) be supported by the new Apple TV. OK, you've been patient. It's time to talk about what you've been champing at the bit for: the apps. Please, Tell Me about the Apps! -- Yes, as I said, the new Apple TV will have an App Store, and developers can sign up for development kits now. Developers will be able to create universal apps that work on iPhone, iPad, and tvOS. Gaming is the obvious play here, and Apple had a number of games to show off, including a version of Hipster Whale's Crossy Road with a new multiplayer mode, an unnamed racing game, Rock Band, a new Harmonix musical baseball game called Beat Sports, Rayman Adventures, Disney Infinity, and Zola ' a new fitness game that works with your Apple Watch. [11][tn_Apple-TV-Crossy-Road.jpg] Developer documents indicate that the new Apple TV will support third-party game controllers, but if you're looking at the Apple TV as a replacement for an Xbox or Playstation, you'll likely be disappointed. Most games will likely be built with the Siri Remote in mind, and so will be designed around motion and touch input. Multiplayer games, like Crossy Road, can use an iOS device as an additional controller. Also, apps have a size limit of only 200 MB, with no persistent storage on the device ' all saved data will be stored in and loaded from iCloud. But Apple TV apps won't just be games. As always, Major League Baseball offers an impressive app that shows stats from the latest games and which you can click to see highlights. Furthermore the new MLB app can notify you of upcoming games and plays, and even lets you watch two games side by side. [12][tn_Apple-TV-MLB.jpg] Perhaps most surprising, the Apple TV will have more traditional apps as well. AirBNB, Zillow, Gilt, and even the Madefire comic reader will be coming to Apple TV. Not only will you be able to watch video and play games in your living room, but you'll be able to shop and read comic books too. [13]Image Unanswered Questions -- For all the cool things Apple showed us today, there are still many unanswered questions about the Apple TV. First, no new content service was mentioned today. Rumor has it that Apple has been working on deals to launch its own live TV service, or even a Netflix competitor. If that's the case, then Apple apparently decided to launch the hardware now, with the new service to arrive later. That also may explain why it took so long to update the Apple TV: Apple was hoping for content deals that have yet to materialize. Next is the question about cable authentications. An annoying aspect of using an Apple TV, and one that has become even worse since we published '[14]Take Control of Apple TV,' is the deluge of new apps that require a TV package from a participating satellite or cable provider, with each one requiring an individual authorization. I hope that tvOS has a solution for this, even if it's just a unified authorization panel. There is also the question of which Apple TV model to buy: 32 GB or 64 GB? With an app size limit of 200 MB and no persistent app data saved on the device, it's hard to envision what good an extra 32 GB of storage will do. And if many of the apps' resources are stored in iCloud, what happens when your Internet connection or iCloud experience an interruption? Some of the TidBITS crew is speculating that Apple TV owners might be able to store photos or music locally on the new Apple TV, but we won't know for sure until we've had a chance to play with one. Apple also indicated that the third-generation Apple TV will stick around at $69. But in what capacity? Will it receive an update to tvOS or will it maintain its existing software? And if it does see the tvOS update, what features will it support? It remains to be seen how exactly the new Apple TV will measure up to the third-generation model and to competitors like the Amazon Fire TV and Roku. I think it will be an easy upgrade for third-generation Apple TV owners, except for the most budget conscious. The value is more questionable for Fire TV and Roku owners. If you're heavily tied into the Amazon ecosystem, I still think the Fire TV makes the most sense, but if you lean toward Fire TV or Roku for their numerous content options, then you'll have to wait and see if the apps you want arrive on the new Apple TV. But if you like the Fire TV for its speed, interface, and voice search, it looks like the new Apple TV will be leaps and bounds ahead on all those fronts. In any case, it's impossible to complain. The Apple TV update was long overdue, but what Apple has shown is impressive. Its Siri capabilities alone blow the competition out of the water. I can't wait to get my hands on the new Apple TV. References 1. http://www.apple.com/tv/ 2. http://tidbits.com/article/15770 3. http://tidbits.com/article/14532 4. http://tidbits.com/resources/2015-09/Apple-TV-4.png 5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGe66lSeSXg 6. http://www.youtube.com/embed/wGe66lSeSXg 7. http://www.apple.com/tv/specs/ 8. http://tidbits.com/resources/2015-09/Apple-TV-4.png 9. http://tidbits.com/resources/2015-09/tvOS-main-menu.png 10. http://tidbits.com/resources/2015-09/Apple-TV-weather.png 11. http://tidbits.com/resources/2015-09/Apple-TV-Crossy-Road.png 12. http://tidbits.com/resources/2015-09/Apple-TV-MLB.png 13. http://tidbits.com/resources/2015-09/Apple-TV-Gilt.png 14. http://tid.bl.it/tco-apple-tv-tidbits .