Here is a quick run down of some of the highlights of the new Apple TV. Check back for a full review and side by side look at the Apple TV vs the Roku 4 and Fire TV 2.
Touchpad Remote
This was one rumor that everyone got right: there is a touch pad on the Apple TV remote. Through a collection of gestures you can control your new Apple TV similar to a dpad.
There is also traditional buttons and even volume control.
Gaming
One of the last big leaks about the Apple TV before the announcement has also come true. Along with all the other new features the Apple TV has added gaming. The one of main focus is clearly on casual gaming and several games are currently shown off.
While this is a new feature for the Apple TV, it still lags behind the Fire TV and Nvidia Shield in number of games. Espically with the lack of any gaming controller. It also lags far behind established competitors like the Playstation and Xbox that currently dominate the gaming market.
Will Apple be able to do something the Ouya and the Fire TV have not? Will they be able to move casual mobile gaming into the living room successfully? We’ll see…
Third-Party Apps
Apple has finally released third-party apps for the Apple TV. Once again this feature is just a catch up to more popular streaming set-top boxes like the Fire TV and Roku. While several well shopping was shown off, they are still far behind other streaming set-top boxes, especially the Roku. The Fire TV is even releasing as many as 300 apps in a single day.
We will be covering third-party apps as they become available on the Apple TV.
Siri and Universal Search
Apple showed off the universal search feature and voice search powered by Siri. Similar to Fire TV, which led the way in voice search for the set-top box market and now Roku, you can find movies and TV shows just by asking for them.
You can also launch apps by voice with the Apple TV allowing easy access to different apps. Yet like your phone, it is uncertain if you can use voice to launch all the new third-party apps. We will post more about this as soon as we know more.