So according to Engadget the Apple TV now has 2,600 apps. 50% are games and the balance are predominately in the entertainment sector.

So did Tim Cook get it right when he said the future of TV is all about apps? Maybe.

Currently, I own an Amazon Fire TV, a Google Chromecast and the new Apple TV. My TV, despite its age has WiFi via a dongle and has smart TV services. So I have plenty of choice for obtaining films, apps or TV shows over the internet.

I have stopped using the chromecast. With the Apple TV and Fire TV it offers no benefits at the moment. It also helps that I am using an iPhone instead of an android phone, although my android phone is a Huawei G8. When Amazon provides an app for the new Apple TV and BBC iPlayer arrives, that will be enough for me to unplug the Fire TV as that won’t be needed anymore.

Now to my updated thoughts on the Apple TV. A new firmware arrived a few days ago. It plugged some bugs but more importantly allowed the iOS remote app to work with it. This should have worked from Day 1. Games are plentiful and there are some good ones. Problem remains that the implementation by the developers on supporting a game controller and or the Siri Remote are inconsistent and a PITA to guess which option will work best.

I absolutely hate the Siri Remote. I keep accidentally catching the trackpad and end up skipping or jumping to another part of the film. Finding anything using the Siri Remote and the iOS app is also a PITA. Another issue is how difficult it is to watch the next episode of a TV show. Nothing works like it did on the old layout. Twice the Siri remote didn’t work as it had gone flat. And prior to the firmware update, I was unable to use the Apple TV until I had charged the remote for a short time. Now at least I can use my iPhone to operate the Apple TV via the iOS remote app.

Talking about apps, the discovering process needs to improve. It is getting harder and harder to find new and decent apps or games. The settings option’s menus have been moved and I haven’t got used to all the changes yet.

The neat stuff. During the Walking Dead, someone whispers something. I couldn’t hear. I use the Siri remote, and said “what did he say”. The TV show go back 10 second and sub titles appear temporarily to help reveal what was said. There is an audio setting that allows you to remove loud noises e.g. bangs and level off the sound. This makes it easier to here spoken words and a preferred listening mode for me. You can turn this on per film etc by swiping down on the show or film whilst its playing to reveal this option, or turn it off or on in the main settings. I also like that you can be logged in to several different iTunes accounts, even with one from the UK and another from the US.

So its ok. It needs a further update and some great apps like Amazon and BBC iPlayer.