With the Apple TV 4K, Apple is trying to do more than just provide you with a gadget that can stream Netflix or iTunes Store movies in 4K. This device seeks to solve a problem: the digital TV viewing experience is fragmented and bad, especially if you want to use the sorts of TV network apps that gate episodes or live broadcasts behind a cable provider.
The Apple TV 4K combines an app store, single sign-on authentication with cable providers, Siri-driven search, and a centralized TV app to unify your TV viewing experience whether you’re a cord cutter or just looking for an over-the-top (OTT) addition to your cable subscription.
The previous Apple TV had similar goals, but the new model adds a much faster CPU, long-overdue 4K and HDR support, and tvOS 11 (which is also available on the previous model). tvOS 11 aims to make your life easier with features like AirPod support and home-screen sync. And the Apple TV 4K plays games, too.
Using the Apple TV 4K, I can see and appreciate Apple’s vision for a better TV experience. However, the realities of the entertainment business have prevented that vision from being fully realized—the Apple TV 4K might still be a little too far ahead of its time.
Attempted renovation of the overall TV browsing and viewing experience aside, this device still aims to be the best, most advanced TV streaming device on the market. Generally, it succeeds, but its high cost and dependency on other Apple services make it fall just shy of an unqualified recommendation.
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