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Returning Apple TV 4th Gen

I created an account specifically to post my displeasure with the new Apple TV, which I am returning today. The time I have spent trying to get the new device to simply replicate the features of my two 3rd Gen Apple TVs should have been spent learning and enjoying the new features of the product. I own almost all of Apple's devices (except for the Watch), and this is the first time I have been disappointed in an Apple product. Imagine if the iPhone 7 is less of a product than the iPhone 6S... the world would be up in arms.


I will outline the issues that ultimately led to my decision to return the device, many of which have already been stated in other posts:

  1. The new onscreen keyboard is terribly difficult to use compared to the grid layout of the previous Apple TV, yet the Remote App was not been updated at the outset to work with the new device.
  2. Homeshare videos now display the Long Description field instead of the Description field, changing the look of a carefully curated library. iTunes has not been updated to allow the Long Description field to be edited to reflect this shift.
  3. Homeshare does not reconnect to the iTunes server after the Apple TV has been awoken from sleep. Only rebooting the Apple TV will reestablish the connection.
  4. Video files are not buffered in their entirety like they were with the previous Apple TV. This is an odd change considering the new device has increased system resources.
  5. The audio quality of AirPlay audio is significantly degraded compared to the previous Apple TV.
  6. Scrolling speed does not accelerate, making navigation quite tasking. This would not be much of an issue if your Homeshare library was indexed and accessible to Siri voice search.
  7. On quick glance, I cannot tell if I'm picking up the remote right side up or upside down.


The faster processor was a joy, but the negatives outweighed this one benefit.


I am surprised Apple released a product in this software state. Hopefully the issues are resolved down the road, and the 4th Gen Apple TV can be as good as the 3rd Gen Apple TV, at the very least.


Thank you.

Apple TV, OS X El Capitan (10.11.1), null

Posted on Nov 8, 2015 11:34 AM

Reply
7 replies

Nov 8, 2015 11:44 AM in response to mezmoryz

I agree 1000%. I have different problems, but just as many. I appreciate your list tho and I FIND IT USEFUL (point to Admins) so I can have a look at these issues to see if they affect my unit as well.


I'm waiting until the end of my return window to make a decision tho, as many of these problems could be fixed via software. I have not found any specific hardware problems (except perhaps the IR remote learning issues I'm having).


Every day the first thing I do is check for updates, no luck so far.


NOTE TO ADMINS - A LIST OF BUGS IS USEFUL TO SOME OF US AND SHOULD NOT ENTAIL YOU TAKING DOWN THIS POST. THE GUY IS NOT SIMPLY RANTING, HE'S POINTING TO SPECIFIC PROBLEMS HE'S HAVING.

Nov 8, 2015 1:00 PM in response to mezmoryz

Comments:


1 - Yes, the new layout is a bit tedious but I think the grid would be had to navigate with the touch remote - to be honest I dislike the new remote and use an old one as it's far too easy to accidentally do a touch gesture.


2 & 3 - annoying when they change things but the Home Share reconnection has always been hit and miss with AppleTVs in the past though much better in recent software.


4 - I don't understand that either and it's an annoyance as I'd rather have the file fully in memory for navigation but some reviews suggest it's better - I've not actually streamed anything from iTunes with it yet.


5 - That's disappointing if true.


6 - Far easier to use the old remote - they've really failed to address endless scrolling for many software iterations now, and still no grouping of different seasons under a common TV Show name as there was on AppleTV 1.


7 - More often than not I pick it up upside down too. The button locations are unintuitive to me compared to the older remotes.

Returning Apple TV 4th Gen

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