It’s been over two years since the Apple TV received any sort of update attention from Apple. Sure, there have been a couple of annual tvOS updates but the hardware has been untouched. The announcement of a new Apple TV, with an updated A15 processor gives TV watchers some extra features such as HDR10+ support. But the real story, I think, is Apple’s subtle push into gaming.
Console gaming is big business. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo dominate gaming through their consoles and excellent library of games. But Apple’s customers, for the most part, aren’t what we’d call hard-core gamers. And Apple is targeting them through its Apple Arcade service.
The variety of different games covers everything from puzzles through to shooters and even a good smattering of retro game classics. By boosting performance, Apple says GPU performance is now up to 30 per cent faster than the previous generation for even smoother gameplay, Apple is slowly making a foray into gaming without making a big deal about it. This is in direct contrast with Google, which is shuttering its Arcadia service because of low subscriber numbers.
Apple’s has a healthy bank balance and long term view of business. That means they are content playing a long game, slowly building subscriber number, as it continues to increase the services side of the balance sheet.
Two configurations – ethernet is now an option, Thread support
The new Apple TV 4K is available in a Wi-Fi only version with 64GB of storage; and a Wi-Fi + Ethernet version that offers support for Gigabit Ethernet, Thread mesh networking protocol to connect even more smart home accessories, and 128GB of storage.
Given Thread is the future, it’s disappointing that this is not part of the base model. And dropping Ethernet as a standard feature is probably not going to bother most people – I suspect the majority of Apple TV devices connect over Wi-Fi.
Pricing and Availability
The new Apple TV 4K with Siri Remote will be available starting at RRP A$219 inc. GST from apple.com/au/store, in the Apple Store app, at physical Apple Stores and through Apple Authorised Resellers.
You can order the new Apple TV 4K beginning today, with availability starting Friday, 4 November, in more than 30 countries and regions, including Australia.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.