New Apple TV wants to be more than just a streaming box (but it isn’t yet)

When you update a piece of technology after leaving it essentially untouched for three years, the changes are bound to be big.

That’s certainly true for the fourth-generation Apple TV, the first significant update to Apple’s “hobby” project since early 2012. Where the old box was more limited and appliance-like, the new one runs its own distinct (albeit iOS-based) operating system and includes its own App Store for consumers and SDK for developers.

So for the second time this year, we find ourselves evaluating not just a new Apple product but a new Apple platform, one with its own unique strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and limitations. The new Apple TV wants to be something less than a full-on computer under your TV but something more than “just” a streaming box or a game console. How well does it accomplish that goal this early in its lifespan? And what are the inevitable version 1.0 problems that need to be ironed out as Apple refines the platform?