Apple’s introduction of a dedicated ‘tvOS’ platform for the fourth generation of its Apple TV has led to an explosion in the number of apps being developed for the set-top box smart device. Regardless of whether you think this is a good or bad thing - for what it’s worth I fall into the latter camp - there’s no doubt that it presents Apple TV users with significant challenges when it comes to browsing all the Apple TV apps out there. So it’s good to discover that Apple has started to roll out a new feature that should make it much easier to sort the wheat from the chaff in the Apple TV app world.
That new feature is web previews. Admittedly it doesn’t sound very exciting when you just state it like that, but what it means is that people in the market for a new Apple TV app or two can now explore Apple TV’s app world via iTunes on their laptop or desktop computers rather than having to go through the rigmarole of firing up their Apple TV box, switching on their televisions, and trying to wrestle with an Apple TV interface that’s far less useful for app browsing than a computer screen.
As well as likely leading to increased Apple TV app engagement by making browsing easier, the web preview approach also means you no longer have to drive the rest of your family nuts by taking over your TV - which is, after all, a shared screen - whenever you feel like hunting down some new Apple TV app action.
As reported by Apple Insider, the new Apple TV web preview feature has only just started to roll out and is currently very much in its nascent stages. For instance, you can only use the feature on your computer for now, and the number of apps that have been indexed for web preview is currently low.
However, Apple will surely add Apple TV web preview support for its own iOS devices at some point, while the number of apps indexed by the feature can be expected to increase steadily.
It’s good to see, too, that the web previews for Apple TV apps already include all the usual data you would expect to find with any web preview for Apple’s other devices, such as release date, app size, a description of the app’s purpose, and compatibility requirements.
Understandably there aren’t currently any purchase or download buttons on the Apple TV web preview pages - though it would of course be great if one day the integration of tvOS into Apple’s eco system could enable your Apple TV box to download apps selected from your desktop or iOS device browser.
For more of my thoughts on the latest Apple TV check out 10 Reasons You Should Buy An Apple TV, 10 Reasons You Shouldn’t Buy An Apple TV, and my Apple TVOS 9.2 Review.
