Apple TV Review

Apple TV Review

Apple TV Review

Last week Apple started selling the newest model of its set-top box, the Apple TV. This Apple TV has more power and gives you more features.

The new Apple TV lets you watch shows, view photos, and listen to music. You can also play games, use apps and speak to the Apple TV.

What's in the Box

The Apple TV comes complete with:

Apple TV

Power Cable¹

Lightning Cable

Remote Control

Getting Started Guide

What's Not in the Box

HDMI Cable

You'll need one of these cables² (sold separately) to connect the Apple TV to your TV.

Apps

The Apple TV has apps. Some apps are like TV channels you watch. Other apps are like the apps you use on your iPhone or iPad.

Some apps are free, some apps you can buy. Some apps are free but you have to pay to watch the shows.

You can get apps for watching TV shows and movies, such as Netflix, HBOGo, Showtime Anytime, Hulu, YouTube, History, PBS and more. You can also get apps for games, cooking, fitness³, shopping, travel and more.?

Apple TV Apps

The Apple TV App Store has apps such as Zillow to shop for homes, and Airbnb to find places to stay when you travel. Check out Zova for exercise and Kitchen Stories for cooking.

The App Store doesn't have many apps yet. But more apps will come to the App Store in the future.

Siri

The best part of Apple TV may be Siri, the voice assistant first introduced on the iPhone. The Apple TV gives Siri new powers.

Apple TV Siri QuestionsApple TV Siri Questions

According to Apple Insider, Siri will only work on the Apple TV in eight of the 80 countries where Apple TV is sold: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.

What Did They Say?

Siri can help you understand what has been said with the What Did They Say feature. Ask Siri, "What did they say?" and the show will rewind 15 seconds. Words will appear on the screen so you can read what is being said.

Finding⁴ Shows

Siri can also help you search for shows. You can ask for shows that have a certain actor, are from a year, or are "good". You can ask Siri to go to different parts of the show.

For example, you can ask Siri to:

show you James Bond⁵ movies starring Daniel Craig

fast-forward 15 minutes

find kids' shows

Ask Siri to find a movie or TV show and you'll see a list of apps that have the show.

Unfortunately, Siri doesn't work with all apps yet. You can search through iTunes,Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Showtime, but not others yet.

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, has said that Siri will be able to search more apps in the future.

Siri can open apps but can't answer questions such as "What is 1 + 1?" She can't yet search the App Store.

But she can help you search for shows, tell you what the weather is, and help you navigate⁶ your shows.?

Remote Control

The Apple TV remote control has few buttons. Instead, you use the touch panel⁷ part of the remote to navigate.

Swipe left to right to fast-forward. Swipe right to left to rewind.

Swipe down to get more information about what you're watching, and adjust the settings⁸. Press to choose an option on screen.

The remote also acts as a game controller. It can sense your motion⁹ so you can use it to control play in game apps.

You can also use Apple or third-party game controllers with the Apple TV.

Ideas for the Future

Where Is 4K?

One omission¹⁰ from Apple TV is 4K resolution. The picture of the Apple TV is extremely sharp and detailed¹¹. The picture quality is excellent so you may not miss 4K at all.

The new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus record video in 4K. Seeing these videos on your Apple TV would seem like a natural fit.

You may not have a 4K TV so you may not care that Apple TV doesn't have 4K. But someday 4K may become the standard, much as HD is now.

Apple TV is not yet ready for the future of 4K.

But having 4K on your Apple TV would add to the cost. If you don't care about 4K then you're probably glad that Apple TV doesn't charge extra for 4K.

Remote App

The Remote app for the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch doesn't control this model Apple TV. I hope the Remote app will control the Apple TV in the future.

Availability

The Apple TV is available in 80 countries around the world.

You can get the Apple TV in two sizes, 32 GB for $149 and 64 GB for $199.

If you think you'll be using a lot of apps and playing a lot of games, then you may want to choose the larger size. If you don't think you'll be using a lot of space then the 32 GB might be a fine choice for you.

Your Thoughts

Which features of the Apple TV do you like the most? What features would you like to see added? Which apps would you use on the Apple TV?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below or on our

Words in This Story

feature - n. an interesting or important part, quality, ability, etc.

app - n. a computer program that performs a particular task (such as wordprocessing)

cable - n. a group of wires, glass fibers¹², etc., covered in plastic or rubber and used to carry electricity or electrical signals

remote control - n. a small device¹³ that is used to operate electronic equipment (such as a television) from a distance by using electronic signals

HDMI cable – n. digital video cable

channel - n. a television or radio station

assistant - n. a person who helps someone

navigate – v. to control the direction of something

swipe - v. to move a finger or fingers, or a stylus, across an area on (a touchscreen) in order to execute¹⁴ a command

4K resolution - n. a minimum¹⁵ resolution of 3,840 pixels wide and 2,160 pixels high

pixel - n. any one of the very small dots that together form the picture on a television screen, computer monitor, etc.

available - adj. possible to get or use

1 cable   

n.缆绳，索；电缆；电报；vt.电汇，打电报

参考例句：

• Don't forget to cable us as soon as you arrive.别忘了一到就给我发个电报。
• The worker attached a cable.工人连接电缆。

2 cables   

n.电报( cable的名词复数 )；电缆；（系船用的）缆绳；（船只、桥梁等上的）巨缆

参考例句：

• Use the crocodile clips to attach the cables to the battery. 用鳄鱼嘴夹把电缆接到蓄电池上。
• Please don't touch these metal cables inside a plastic sleeve. 请不要碰那些套着塑料管的金属电缆。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

4 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

5 bond   

n.结合，债券，契约，粘合剂，保证人，键，关栈保留；vt.存入关栈，粘着；vi.结合

参考例句：

• This glue makes a good firm bond.这种胶水粘得很结实。
• His word is his bond.他是讲信用的。

6 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

7 panel   

n.面，板，专门小组，控制板，仪表盘

参考例句：

• The unusual control panel on the walls caught our attention.墙上不同寻常的控制板引起了我们的注意。
• The panel of judges included several well-known writers.评判小组中包括几位知名作家。

8 settings   

n.镶嵌( setting的名词复数 )；环境；装置；（某事、戏剧、小说等的）背景

参考例句：

• to study behaviour in laboratory and naturalistic settings 研究实验室里的以及仿自然环境中的行为
• This machine has two settings: fast and slow. 这种机器有两种可调的速度：快速和慢速。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 motion   

n.打手势，示意，移动，动作，提议，大便；v.运动，向...打手势，示意

参考例句：

• She could feel the rolling motion of the ship under her feet.她能感觉到脚下船在晃动。
• Don't open the door while the train is in motion.列车运行时，请勿打开车门。

10 omission   

n.省略，删节；遗漏或省略的事物，冗长

参考例句：

• The omission of the girls was unfair.把女孩排除在外是不公平的。
• The omission of this chapter from the third edition was a gross oversight.第三版漏印这一章是个大疏忽。

11 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

12 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。

13 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

14 execute   

vt.执行，实行，实现，实施；处死，处决

参考例句：

• Never once did I doubt that I would be able to execute my plan.我从未怀疑过我能执行自己的计划。
• The general gave the word to execute the deserters.将军下令处决逃兵。

15 minimum   

adj.最低的，最小的；n.最小量，最低限度

参考例句：

• What is the minimum price?最低价是多少？
• Today's minimum temperature is 10℃.今天的最低气温是10℃。