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Apple TV is getting badly-needed voice-dictation
Apple is really trying to fix one of the biggest complaints about its generally solid 2015 Apple TV: text input. The previous beta 2 of tvOS 9.2 introduced a bluetooth keyboard, and the latest beta 3 version of tvOS 9.2 now has dictation and App Store search for Siri. The dictation feature lets you speak to input text and spell passwords rather than typing them using the remote -- a process that's infuriatingly slow and clunky. To use it, you hold down the remote's Siri button and speak, with confirmation that it hears you coming via a live level meter.
What picture-in-picture on the new Apple TV would look like
A subscription TV service isn't the only add-on we could envision for the new Apple TV. Developer Steven Troughton-Smith -- who gave us a peek at iPad split-screen multitasking well before Apple started offering it -- whipped up an app for the device with picture-in-picture support that looks right at home on tvOS. Support for the feature isn't built into the box yet, but we can't imagine official support for this will be too many software revisions away. Older smart TV platforms like Google TV and Yahoo Widgets! handled some form of multitasking, and if the future of TV is apps like Apple says, they'll need to figure this out along the way.
Apple has 1 billion active devices
Apple's device sales weren't stellar as 2015 wound to a close, but it did cross an important milestone: it now has 1 billion active devices. The figure includes all iOS, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch units that have used Cupertino's services in the past 90 days. While that's not as huge a figure as you'll see on the Android side (which crossed the 1 billion mark back in 2014), it's no mean feat for a company that focuses almost exclusively on higher-priced hardware.
Fresco News brings its citizen journalism to Apple TV
Now that most of us carry around a camera in our pockets, we're able to provide first-person accounts of breaking news. Fresco News uses iOS and Android apps to source photos and videos from citizen journalists, and now its bringing that content to the Apple TV. Fresco curates all of the coverage it posts and compensates anyone who submits content that's used by news outlets, so you can expect what you see in the app to be worth a look. As far as the Apple TV app goes, content is divided into three main sections: Video, Highlights and Stories.
Apple TV software update adds missing Podcasts app
Apple has a host of notable updates coming for iOS, the Apple Watch and the new Apple TV. But in the meantime, the company has just released tvOS 9.1.1, a relatively minor bug fix update that nonetheless contains at least one user-facing feature: a Podcasts app. The fact that the new Apple TV shipped without this app was rather puzzling, as the older Apple TV has had podcast features for some time. Now, that gap has been closed.
ESPN exec: Sling TV 'significant' but Apple is 'frustrated'
ESPN has come of age in the cable era, but as internet TV grows and cord-cutting continues, its future is suddenly fuzzy. President John Skipper talked to the Wall Street Journal and commented a bit about the state of streaming and how it's affecting his business. He says the stats show Dish Network's Sling TV (which carries ESPN as part of its bundle of channels) is bringing "significant" numbers of new TV customers in, without pulling viewers away from cable or satellite.
Watch Engadget on your Apple TV with our new app
Good news, Apple TV owners: Engadget now has an official app! You'll be able to watch all of our shows, reviews and other video goodies from the comfort of your couch. You can find it right on the new Apple TV's app store (it's also the No. 3 top free app, at the moment). Unfortunately, it's not available on the older Apple TV, but you can always subscribe to the Engadget channel on YouTube.
VLC for Apple TV plays virtually all of your media
The new Apple TV is a more capable media device than its predecessors, but let's face it: out of the box, it's not much use if your collection is in formats that Apple doesn't handle. That's where the newly released (and long promised) VLC for Apple TV might come to save the day. Much like on other platforms, the app lets you play audio and video files in all kinds of formats, whether they're sitting on your local network or streaming from the internet. There's even a web-based remote playback feature (to play media you haven't already shared), and you can tweak playback speed if you're determined to zip through boring segments.
Apple's latest iOS, Watch and TV betas pack big features
Apple's pre-release software isn't usually buzz-worthy outside of major revamps, but there's definitely a reason to take notice today. The company's iOS 9.3, tvOS 9.2 and WatchOS 2.2 betas all introduce some hefty upgrades that are likely to get some use. Of the bunch, iOS 9.3 is the centerpiece. There's a new Night Shift mode that changes to warmer color tones to cut back on blue light and help you sleep, akin to third-party apps like F.lux. You'll also see your Apple Watch goals in the Health app, tighter Apple Music integration with CarPlay, a Classroom app for guided lessons and Notes secured by Touch ID. There's even a multi-user feature on iPads, although you shouldn't get too excited -- it's currently meant for students, not the family tablet back home.
Tablo gives your Apple TV a DVR for live video
By itself, the new Apple TV's full-fledged app support only partly fulfills cord-cutting dreams. You can subscribe to loads of streaming services, but you can't quite recreate the experience of watching live broadcasts. However, the makers of the Tablo DVR have an answer to that dilemma. They've unveiled a version of their streaming app for the Apple TV, giving you a way to both watch live over-the-air TV and record it for posterity. This solution isn't cheap -- you're looking at a minimum $200 for the box, and that's before the subscription ($5 per month, $50 per year or $150 lifetime) you'll need if you want programming guide data. Nonetheless, the app will probably be your best bet at unifying internet and OTA TV when it shows up this spring.
iHeartRadio brings its internet radio stations to Apple TV
Earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook proclaimed that TV's future meant more apps. That's certainly the case for Cupertino's streaming device, and today the gadget got one more piece of software. iHeartRadio now streams radio and other music content to the set-top box, offering another option for bringing some audio into your living room. The internet radio app also streams to Play-Fi-enabled speakers, too. With the Play-Fi app on both iOS and Android, you can beam high-quality lossless audio and control the stations with your phone or tablet.
Your Apple TV now plays 360-degree videos
The new Apple TV can do a lot of things now that it runs full-fledged apps... and that includes 360-degree videos. The Disney-funded VR service Littlstar has launched an Apple TV app that lets you explore immersive clips from the likes of Disney (of course), Discovery, National Geographic and Red Bull from the comfort of your couch. As Littlstar suggests, Apple's remote is particularly well-suited to the job -- that trackpad lets you spin around with relatively little effort. It's doubtful that you'll stick around as long as you would on Netflix or YouTube, but it's worth a look when the app is free.[Image credit: Adventureiros, Littlstar]
BBC iPlayer comes to the Apple TV
The new Apple TV has been available for a little over six weeks and there are more than 2,600 apps available. However, dedicated UK apps have been few and far between. Sky's Now TV is on the platform, but we've had to bide our time while the BBC readies its own app. Luckily, that wait is now over. Coming just ahead of the holidays, the new BBC iPlayer app lets you dig into the Beeb's live and on-demand content across all of its channels.
The App Store now shows you when iOS apps work on Apple TV
The fourth-generation Apple TV already has over 2,600 apps, a significant number considering tvOS is such a young platform. Naturally, as more developers make their applications compatible with the new hardware, Apple wants users to easily find these. In order to do that, Apple's iOS App Store now lets you know when its iPhone or iPad apps also have an Apple TV version, similar to what it does with the Watch.
Google Play Movies finally adds AirPlay support
Cupertino recently announced that the Apple TV has some 2,600 applications in its ecosystem and one of them just got a pretty major update. The app in question is none other than Google Play Movies and TV. The update? AirPlay support. No, you aren't misreading that. It actually happened. If you're heavily invested in Mountain View's entertainment ecosystem (but for whatever reason haven't added a Chromecast to your A/V gear), this should come as pretty welcome news.
The Apple TV already has over 2,600 apps
It really shouldn't surprise anyone that the new Apple TV is already home to over 2,600 apps. The company that helped launch the entire app-centric industry might have been a bit late to the streaming-media box app store, but according to data collected by appFigures, tvOS is well on its way to becoming another popular platform for developers to build upon.
CBS exec says Apple's streaming TV plans are 'on hold'
The other half of the rollout for the new Apple TV has always been a rumored streaming TV service. It wasn't present for the device's launch, and now CBS CEO Les Moonves (who has previously been good for a quote or two on Apple's TV plans) says the project is on ice. Speaking at the Business Insider Ignition conference in New York the exec claimed "They've had conversations on it, and I think they pressed the hold button." According to Bloomberg a source said Apple has suspended its plans, and will go ahead with the Apple TV as a platform for content available via the App Store.
Your new Apple TV finally works with the Remote app
Ask owners about their biggest gripes with the new Apple TV and they'll probably mention the text input. Given that the Remote app hasn't worked with the box since launch, you've been forced to enter account info and text searches very... very... slowly. At last, however, relief is in sight: a new Apple TV update brings support for the Remote app on both your iOS devices and the Apple Watch (through the equally new watchOS 2.1). You can now break out your iPhone the next time a streaming video app wants your password.
Apple TV review (2015): A huge leap forward, unless you want 4K
For years, Apple TV has been like a perpetually ignored child, eclipsed by its overachieving siblings, the iPhone and iPad. Design-wise, it hasn't changed at all since 2010, and it's been shackled with one of the most archaic Apple interfaces around, which harkens back to the iPod days. All the while Roku and even Amazon have stepped up their game considerably. Now, with the fourth-generation Apple TV, the set-top box that's been deemed merely as a "hobby" by its parent has finally come into its own. It has more powerful hardware, a significantly redesigned remote and an operating system that's worthy of an Apple product in 2015. And finally, there's a genuine app store, which turns Apple TV into a legitimate platform for entertainment and gaming in your living room. It isn't quite the "future of television" that Apple is promising, but it's getting there.
Sky's Now TV app brings more UK content to Apple TV
While the new Apple TV has been available to order for over a week, UK-centric apps have been a bit thin on the ground. Less than a week after the BBC confirmed that iPlayer is coming to the streamer, Sky has gone one better and released an app for Now TV. Its release doesn't come as much of a surprise, given the fact that it is already available on third-generation Apple TVs and the iPhone maker is actively plugging the service on its website, but it's good to see more broadcasters committing to Apple's new hardware.
