The Apple TV has been announced and will be available in late October. Yet there are a lot of things we are missing from the announcement today. We may have additional announcements in future weeks, but here is what is missing from the Apple TV announcement.
First, if you want to know what is in the Apple TV check our Apple TV coverage HERE.
4K
The Apple TV does not have any 4K support. This could be a major drawback over the next year as more and more TVs are 4K. Because we do not expect a new Apple TV every year, it will be at least two or three years before we get an Apple TV with 4K.
With the Roku TV already having 4K and Amazon filing a patent so they can release a new Fire TV with 4K, this will be a major drawback when you compare the different set-top streaming boxes.
Content
No new video content or video apps were announced today. Whereas Apple has a little over a month to bring out more streaming content, it is a bit disappointing to not see any new video content on the Apple TV.
Streaming Service
There was no new streaming service announced today. With the fact that the Apple TV was delayed to give the streaming service more time to get all the deals they need leads us to wonder if they will come out with it at all.
While they may still come out with a streaming service, every month they wait is a month more for Sling TV, HBO Now, Showtime Anytime, and others to keep growing and pulling away.
Gaming Controller
Gaming is part of the new Apple TV, but there is no gaming controller. Because it has a Bluetooth remote others can make an Apple TV gaming controller, but the lack of an official controller will hinder development of games.
Also because there is no well-defined layout for buttons on the remote, game developers will not know how to program their games until a standard control comes out. This will hinder Apple TV as a gaming system.
Home Center
There is no home center type control. The Apple TV is not the kind of device that will control your home or even basic systems. While third-party apps may build that in with third-party hardware do not expect anything revolutionary from the Apple TV as a home center.
So while the Apple TV does bring it on par with many other systems and may have the best voice search on the market today, overall there was nothing revolutionary out of Apple for the Apple TV today.