Do what Apple TV is? It’s not only a streaming machine or an app — it’s a whole ecosystem encompassing {hardware}, software program, and even a premium streaming service.
Apple TV — the {hardware} — is a small streaming device you place in your lounge, bed room, or wherever. The Apple TV app is usable in your cellular machine or sensible TV and provides you entry to a lot of the identical content material you’d discover on the bodily Apple TV field.
Meanwhile, Apple TV+ is a premium streaming service. You pay for it to entry high-quality video content material, together with movies, TV exhibits, sports activities, and extra.
Are you continue to confused? Don’t be. Let’s have a look.
Apple TV {hardware}
Generally talking, if you discuss Apple TV, you’re speaking about {hardware}, or what generally is known as a set-top field, which plugs into your tv by way of HDMI. The official title of the present {hardware} is Apple TV 4K, which is now in its third era.
The field itself is concerning the dimension of a few decks of playing cards. And in typical Apple trend, it’s a fairly stark design. Matte black plastic, with simply the Apple emblem on high, and a few ports on the again.
There now are a few variations of Apple TV 4K, which was final refreshed in October 2022 and sport mostly minor improvements on the earlier model. They share the identical elements and options for probably the most half. Apple refers to them because the “Wi-Fi model,” and the “Wi-Fi + Ethernet model.”
As the names indicate, one solely has wi-fi networking, and the opposite has a gigabit Ethernet port. That’s not the one distinction, although. The mannequin with Ethernet has double the onboard storage at 128GB, and help for the Thread networking standard, which is able to make sensible house help much more seamless.
Both fashions are powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic processor, which implies each are very overpowered for what they at the moment do. That’s not a nasty factor, although.
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And each share the identical Siri Remote. It’s nonetheless the modern silver deal we’ve loved for some time now (and it’s nonetheless maybe just a little smaller and boxier than you’d like). It nonetheless has a mix directional/clickable button/pad factor that sounds bizarre on paper however works fantastic really, with a minimal smattering of buttons. And it has correct energy and quantity controls, so there’s a fairly good likelihood it’ll be the one distant you want.
And it now recharges by way of USB-C as an alternative of Apple’s proprietary Lightning cable.
The Wi-Fi-only Apple TV 4K prices $130, whereas the one with extra storage, plus Ethernet and Thread help, prices $150. In case you want us to spell it out, you need to simply go forward and spend the additional cash. Because in the event you can plug in into your community, you need to. and in the event you ever need help for Thread, that is the way you get it. And no person has ever mentioned, “Welp, I wish I didn’t have this much storage for apps and stuff.” Just do it.
Apple TV software program
The authentic Apple TV {hardware} was born in January 2007 and ran a modified model of Mac OS X Tiger. Things have modified fairly a bit since then, in fact. Apple tvOS is a devoted department of Apple software program that feels just a little bit like in the event you instructed somebody to take the iPhone or iPad expertise and stick it on a residing room-sized show.
The house display screen is so simple as it will get — icons for apps. And these apps all come from the Apple TV app retailer.
And … that’s it. Mostly. You can maintain down the TV button on the distant to slip open a Control Center that very a lot appears like what you’ll discover on iPhone, iPad, or a Mac. Or click on it twice to see thumbnails of your open apps, which you’ll then swipe away to shut manually.
Available apps run the gamut. There are all of the streaming providers, in fact, like YouTube TV or Hulu With Live TV. And utilities. And music and different movies. And in the event you’re a gamer, Apple TV has a bunch on the prepared, too, by way of Apple Arcade.
There’s additionally help for a number of person accounts, so you may have a totally completely different expertise from a member of the family, be it apps or notifications or no matter. And tvOS stays a wonderful platform for issues like AirPlay, the place you may mirror your telephone or use the function to look at any content material from a handheld machine or Mac in your TV as an alternative.
And in the event you’re the proprietor of an Apple Watch, Apple TV is a brilliant way to use Apple Fitness+.
For those that are into Apple’s sensible house ecosystem, Apple TV (the {hardware}) lets you use HomeKit (the software program) to manage supported units. That ecosystem ought to develop exponentially as soon as Thread help is mainstream, in order that’s a motive to get the costlier of the 2 present Apple TV 4K choices.
Like different Apple merchandise, tvOS will see updates alongside Apple’s different software program.
The TV app on Apple TV
We’ve talked about the TV button on the Siri Remote. Press it, and it takes you to the TV app. This is the place issues begin to get a superb bit extra complicated.
The brief model is that Apple is making an attempt, with numerous levels of success, to make the TV app the one place to go for all TV on Apple TV. Except it’s not.
Various main video apps enable their content material to be surfaced within the TV app. That’s the way you may see an on-demand film from, say, HBO Max, alongside one thing from Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video. There are greater than 130 providers that may pipe content material into the TV app. But not collaborating, nonetheless, is Netflix. So for nearly as good because the TV app is in serving to you determine what you need to watch with out having to care about which app you’ll have the ability to watch it on, it’s not all-encompassing.
The Apple TV app is also the place you’ll discover MLS Season Pass. It’s a separate subscription that will get you each MLS sport, plus playoffs, with none blackouts. In addition to the dwell video games themselves, you’ll additionally get replays, interviews, and options on each staff.
The cool factor, although, is that the TV app is obtainable on iOS, iPad OS, Mac OS, and Apple TV.
But it positively tends to make issues just a little extra complicated, and we wouldn’t blame you for ignoring it.
Apple TV+ streaming
Then there’s Apple TV+. It’s Apple’s personal premium streaming service that’s all about exclusives. If you’re watching it on Apple TV+, be it a movie or series, you may’t watch it wherever else.
Apple TV+ is also required in the event you’re going to look at Friday Night Baseball. Apple used to point out video games free of charge. But beginning with the 2023 season, you’ll need a subscription.
But there’s nothing significantly unique about Apple TV+ itself. While, sure, you may watch Apple TV+ within the TV app in your Apple TV, you can also watch it just about wherever else, be it on {hardware} from Roku or Amazon, and even Google. Or in an internet browser. And that is sensible, as a result of what good is a streaming service that’s solely out there on sure {hardware}?
Apple TV+’s exclusivity will not be significantly distinctive. Although you may watch it on the Apple TV app, it’s also possible to entry it on different platforms corresponding to Roku, Amazon, Google, and internet browsers. This widespread availability is sensible as a result of a streaming service wouldn’t be useful if it had been solely accessible on particular units.
Apple TV+ could be bought for as little as $9.99 per thirty days after a 30-day trial or $99 for a whole yr. It’s additionally out there by means of any of the Apple One bundles, which begin at $19.95 and embody different Apple providers like Apple Music, Apple Arcade, iCloud storage, and extra.
In some circumstances, you may get an Apple TV+ subscription free of charge if you buy a brand new Apple product. However, that supply isn’t out there fairly often.