The new Apple TV 4K sounds like it’s much more of the same

Disclaimer: I don’t own an Apple TV 4K, I don’t plan on getting one and I’ve never reviewed the product, so I guess you can take everything from here on with a pinch of salt.

I open with that statement as I don’t really have a stake in the Apple ecosystem. Aside from an iPad and a subscription to Apple TV (the other one), that’s pretty much my commitment to Apple in terms of devices. Any time there’s a launch of a new product, I’m intrigued to see what they launch but I’m not invested in what they offer.

The new Apple TV 4K has been a long time coming – too long if you ask some people. Ever since the last one launched, there have been murmurs of when the next one would arrive, and while the Apple TV 4K does seem to be one of the best streamers available, I can’t say it’s ever really spiked my interest.

And the new streamer doesn’t do much for me either.

Supercharged AI but to what end?

The delay of several products, from the TV 4K box to the HomeView, seemed to be dependent on Siri receiving an intelligence upgrade. If there’s anything that’s held Apple’s smart products back in the past, it’s that they’ve not been very smart, with Siri seemingly limited to fetching stuff within the limited playground she operates in.

With the assistance of Google, Apple’s AI Intelligence that powers Siri has received a substantial boost, but the examples of how to use Siri in the context of the TV 4K streamer seem quite… unexciting.

There seems to be a belief among those pushing AI that we want to have fully-fledged conversations with them, but speaking for myself, that would require a complete personality change for that happen. I’m not that fussed about knowing where Pluribus was filmed (it’s Albuquerque FYI) when I’m focusing on watching the TV series.

Everything about using AI in this context seems to speak to people not being engaged by what they’re watching and thinking about something else. I want immersion, which actually means silence, not chatting to an AI assistant every few minutes.

AI often feels like it makes what you’re watching (or listening to) an advert for something else, some other piece of trivia or fact that once I learn it I’m going to tell… who exactly about it?

I’m sure there will be those who love it, but if it’s anything like how it presents itself on TVs, then I feel confident in saying that no one will really know it’s there or make use of it much.

It’s hella expensive

There was a good reason Sonos didn’t enter the TV streaming game. The box it tried to make was too expensive. Clearly Apple didn’t subscribe to that thought.

The 128GB model has gone up from £169 / $149 to £299 / $299, which is quite the mark-up. I’d guess the price of RAM will have caused it to go up (ironically, because of AI), but who exactly would pay that much for a TV streamer? The more I think about it, the more absurd that price feels.

You could argue that there are 4K Blu-ray players that cost as much and more, and yes, you’d be right about that, but I would counter that they’ve always been that price. Raising the price of the Apple TV 4K is not a poke in the eye of 4K Blu-ray but rather itself.

The advantage the Apple TV 4K would have had in the past is that it was far less expensive. The price of the new model closes that gap.

It doesn’t feel like a massive upgrade

I’m sure the experience of Apple TV 4K will be as slick as I’ve read about with this new model, but aside from adding AI, does the new Apple TV 4K really change the experience of watching TV? I’m not so sure.

There’s mention of this now being a fully hands-free experience but again, I’m not much of a conversationalist and I prefer to have something in my hand. And though Apple will tout its privacy and security measures, I think people are still hesitant about a device that’s always listening and waiting for your commands.

There’s also the addition of adding up to four (four!) HomePod speakers, but four HomePod mini 2 equals £600; while four HomePod 2 tallied together is double at £1200. Considering I’d need to get the new Apple TV 4K to make that a possibility, I’d be looking at close to £1000 for a minimum outlay. There’s the argument that it matches the cost of surround sound set-ups from other brands; but it’s not as if they’re flying off the shelves into people’s homes.

While I don’t know if the new silicon in the box supports Dolby Vision 2, the fact that there’s no mention of it is not a positive. Maybe it’ll come later down the line, but Dolby’s been making noise about it for over a year and devices that support it are still few. There’s now AV1 decoding support but take-up of that codec has not been particularly fast.

The previous Apple TV 4Ks never sounded like they were big sellers; and this update seems to make it more of a niche product than ever with Apple still playing in its gated playground.

I don’t doubt that when it launches, there’ll be plenty of praise for the experience it offers, but from where I’m sitting, there’s little that changes the appeal of the previous boxes. The new Apple TV 4K doesn’t look to expand its audience but appeal to the same one. You might as well stick with what you’ve got.