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Apple Live Event Monday March 9th.


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Old 27-02-2015, 13:26
methodyguy
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I am not sure if I have put this in the correct place or not.

It's been announced that Apple are having a Media Event on Monday 9th of March to focus on the Apple watch, but what else would you like to see Apple focus on at this Event? Personally I would like to see Apple introduce a new Apple Tv box as the old one has got very stale.

Anyone else got any products they would like to see announced?
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Old 27-02-2015, 13:46
Stuart_h
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I am not sure if I have put this in the correct place or not.

It's been announced that Apple are having a Media Event on Monday 9th of March to focus on the Apple watch, but what else would you like to see Apple focus on at this Event? Personally I would like to see Apple introduce a new Apple Tv box as the old one has got very stale.

Anyone else got any products they would like to see announced?
Does anyone still need an Apple TV with most TV's now being "Smart" ? What else does it bring into the equation at the moment ?
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Old 27-02-2015, 13:50
Stig
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Does anyone still need an Apple TV with most TV's now being "Smart" ? What else does it bring into the equation at the moment ?
The rumour is that Apple wants a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime to compliment their iTunes store. However, they would need to get deals with US cable companies in order to access to the content.

I don't have a smart TV, so I use my AppleTV quite a lot for Netflix and AirPlay from my iOS devices.

There is also the possibility of gaming.
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Old 27-02-2015, 13:57
methodyguy
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Does anyone still need an Apple TV with most TV's now being "Smart" ? What else does it bring into the equation at the moment ?
I take your point about Smart TVs but I think a lot of people still use Apple TV I know I certainly get a lot of use out of it and I also have a Smart TV.
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Old 27-02-2015, 14:15
calico_pie
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Does anyone still need an Apple TV with most TV's now being "Smart" ? What else does it bring into the equation at the moment ?
Do they tap into iCloud / iTunes? I guess they could - one of the things we use it mostly for is looking at photos stored on the main computer.

And whilst most TVs available to buy might be "Smart" that's quite different to most people having a Smart TV. People tend to replace their tv on average every 8 years or so. So something like an Apple TV, or other similar options, are an affordable way to add content / functionality to an existing non Smart tv.

Our TV is a Sony from 2010 - so one of the earlier internet connected models. You'd think being internet connected would future proofed it to some degree with software updates. But by the end of 2011 it didn't seem to be kept very up to date. (Very old clunky iPlayer for example).

I suppose the most obvious thing they could do with it is add an App store, and turn it into a gaming console.

It would be nice to see any new laptops this year - ours is getting on a bit now (nearly seven years old) so might be looking to replace it before the end of the year.
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Old 27-02-2015, 14:20
Quackers
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Does anyone still need an Apple TV with most TV's now being "Smart" ? What else does it bring into the equation at the moment ?
I have an Apple TV connected to all 5 TVs in the house some are smart we just don't use the smart tv features they are generally clunky and slow.
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Old 27-02-2015, 15:50
simon69c
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I'd like to see the much-rumoured 12" Retina Macbook Air announced - my mid 2011 Macbook Air has served me well but think it is finally due to be refreshed.

Also an 802.11ac airport express would be nice.
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Old 27-02-2015, 20:13
jchamier
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Does anyone still need an Apple TV with most TV's now being "Smart" ? What else does it bring into the equation at the moment ?
Apple TV user interface is vastly better than most "smart TVs" but also the Amazon Fire TV is significantly faster and better. Apple need a new "Apple TV" to compete with Amazon Fire TV and the Fire Stick (US only at the moment).

A lot of people have iTunes content, I have a ton of movies "in the cloud" that I can watch on the Apple TV without having to 'stream' from a tablet or phone. It would be nice if Apple does an iTunes app for SmartTVs and say Amazon Fire TV and Roku though.

Smart TV's are infested with problems:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-31523497
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-31424596
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25018225
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25042563

So if I have to get a new TV that has "smart" features, its not getting my WiFi key or Ethernet connection.
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Old 27-02-2015, 20:40
psionic
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There is also the possibility of gaming.
Surprisingly (I thought) I'm seeing this more and more now. It seems theres a not insignificant number of people who use the relatively powerful CPU+GPU combo of modern smartphones and tablets as portable/takeaway gaming machines and stream everything to a big screen. Plus there's massive availability of a wide variety of games. The 1st person shooters aren't for me though. I prefer stuff like all the Telltale Games!

The Apple TV definitely in need of a refresh though. Hasn't been updated in years.
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Old 27-02-2015, 21:10
finbaar
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Every smart TV user experience is horrible. An Apple TV isn't much better mind you. I actually owned a ATV 2 for a short period. The Apple part was well clunky but I had it rooted with XBMC installed - which worked well. Actually I am being unfair as I didn't use a single Apple app - it felt clunky because of the horrible remote which was a sharp metal thing with only one button (!). When the video service I was using on XBMC was pulled it was useless to me so I sold it for a profit, so I have fond memories of it. Of course if you are in the Apple ecosystem a fully functional ATV would be better than any smart TV. I am so pleased my TV is a dumb plasma. I don't know what I will do when I need to replace it as you can't buy dumb and you can't by plasma.
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Old 27-02-2015, 21:14
Stig
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I am so pleased my TV is a dumb plasma. I don't know what I will do when I need to replace it as you can't buy dumb and you can't by plasma.
I have a plasma and an ATV3. Very happy.
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Old 27-02-2015, 21:28
jchamier
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I am so pleased my TV is a dumb plasma. I don't know what I will do when I need to replace it as you can't buy dumb and you can't by plasma.
LED backlit LCD's (marketed as LED TV's) have taken off in a massive way and in my view there is no longer a reason to buy a plasma. Too few plasma's were 1920x1080 pixels (full 1080p) - many even the 50" ones were 1280x720 or some middle ground like 1366x768.

I've got an 8 year old LCD which is first version dimming, and its still pretty good unless you watch scrolling white credits on a black background for a living when the auto brightness gets a bit lost.

My mates have Samsung TVs from the last 2 to 3 years, and they're amazingly bright, and amazing contrast.
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Old 27-02-2015, 21:46
The Lord Lucan
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Seeing the latest LCD LED's and then looking at a decent & expensive but old Plasmas. There is nothing in it now.

Does anyone still need an Apple TV with most TV's now being "Smart" ? What else does it bring into the equation at the moment ?
That's what people said about touch screen phones and then about tablet PC's..
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Old 27-02-2015, 22:01
enapace
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Looking forward to Apple Watch will be interesting to see what price they sell it at in the UK. I might consider getting one for my new iPhone if it's reasonable. Specially if Apple Pay happens in the UK.
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Old 27-02-2015, 22:06
methodyguy
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Looking forward to Apple Watch will be interesting to see what price they sell it at in the UK. I might consider getting one for my new iPhone if it's reasonable. Specially if Apple Pay happens in the UK.
I am also looking forward to the Apple Watch launching in the UK hopefully it will launch at a reasonable price.
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Old 28-02-2015, 13:06
calico_pie
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Now this is a nice smartwatch:

Mondaine Helvetica Smart

If it came in this style, had a heart rate sensor, and didn't cost anywhere near $900 I'd be interested!
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Old 01-03-2015, 13:15
klendathu
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I am also looking forward to the Apple Watch launching in the UK hopefully it will launch at a reasonable price.



Yeah right
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Old 09-03-2015, 11:05
Stig
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It's live via the link below from 5pm GMT today:
http://www.apple.com/live/

Or, your favourite technology blog.
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Old 09-03-2015, 11:18
Stuart_h
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That's what people said about touch screen phones and then about tablet PC's..
Not quite the same.

With Smart TV's these days you already have the facility for apps and games (using the built in details) but you also have facilities for direct streaming of apps, music, video etc directly from a phone.

Im not sure if this is limited to Android though ? I know with most (all ?) smart TVs these days I can use the Netflix, iPlayer, youtube apps on my phone and push them directly to the TV with no box required. I can also share my entire screen (for gaming etc) with no box required.

If you have an older model TV without connectivity then there are many relatively cheap ways of connecting these (Now TV box, Chromecast etc).

So back to the original point, is the Apple TV there as an "extra" to allow similar connectivity for Apple Users ? Does it provide anything beyond what the other systems provide ? Is there no direct streaming available from iOS ?

We have 5 smart TVs in the house. With Apple TV would I need to have 5 separate boxes to cover all the bases if I owned an iPhone ?
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Old 09-03-2015, 11:26
jchamier
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With Smart TV's these days you already have the facility for apps and games (using the built in details) but you also have facilities for direct streaming of apps, music, video etc directly from a phone.
Only if the phone supports Miracast ( / WiFi Direct) which the Moto G doesn't.

Im not sure if this is limited to Android though ? I know with most (all ?) smart TVs these days I can use the Netflix, iPlayer, youtube apps on my phone and push them directly to the TV with no box required. I can also share my entire screen (for gaming etc) with no box required.
Only some Android devices sadly, its certainly not all.

So back to the original point, is the Apple TV there as an "extra" to allow similar connectivity for Apple Users ? Does it provide anything beyond what the other systems provide ? Is there no direct streaming available from iOS ?
iOS doesn't support Miracast but to be honest, in my experience the AirPlay protocol seems more robust than Miracast.

We have 5 smart TVs in the house. With Apple TV would I need to have 5 separate boxes to cover all the bases if I owned an iPhone ?
If you wanted to 'stream' from the phone yes - or if you had an iTunes library of music and movies that you wanted to play directly.

Apple should do a netflix and release an "Apple app" for smart TVs that implements access to iTunes content and AirPlay, but you know they won't.

Google Play content is equally unavailable on smart TVs, so if you buy movies on Google Play Movies or Music and don't own an Android (e.g. you have a Windows Phone, or iPhone) then you can't play it without buying some additional hardware.

Chromecast is interesting, but Amazon's Fire TV Stick looks a better option when in the UK. Essentially same price but with more built in features.
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Old 09-03-2015, 11:46
heskethbang
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I hardly use the Apple TV nowadays. I replaced my DVD player with a Samsung Smart Blu Ray Player - and it's fab! It lets me watch my Amazon Prime Content as well as Netflix, iPlayer, Youtube etc. What's more, it only cost me £59! Apple is going to need to change its offer on Apple TV - I can't think why anyone would buy one nowadays, except for viewing your photos and listening to your itunes library.
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Old 09-03-2015, 12:29
Stuart_h
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Google Play content is equally unavailable on smart TVs, so if you buy movies on Google Play Movies or Music and don't own an Android (e.g. you have a Windows Phone, or iPhone) then you can't play it without buying some additional hardware.
Thats a bit of a contrived example surely

Buying something off the Google Play store without owning anything Android

I just find it a little strange that the high end Apple products need another purchase to allow a simple task of streaming to a networked TV. The fact that you need a unit per TV just makes it worse. For a compamy that likes to push for seamless integration it seems like a clunky approach for 2015. It might be sensible for Apple to adopt the "cheap dongle approach" to bring it more into line with other options out there (assuming they wont open up any direct connectivity).

Im surprised the Moto G cant do this to be honest but maybe its one of the features removed to keep costs down (its a great phone for the price-point !).
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Old 09-03-2015, 12:58
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Only if the phone supports Miracast ( / WiFi Direct) which the Moto G doesn't.
Well technically it does since its enabled at hardware level. It's only disabled at software level for some odd reason. It can be enabled by changing one number in the build.prop file easily. A pain for less advanced users i will admit.

iOS doesn't support Miracast but to be honest, in my experience the AirPlay protocol seems more robust than Miracast.
In what way? I have found both to work just fine without any issues.
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Old 09-03-2015, 13:23
jchamier
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Well technically it does since its enabled at hardware level. It's only disabled at software level for some odd reason. It can be enabled by changing one number in the build.prop file easily. A pain for less advanced users i will admit.
Requires rooting doesn't it to access? Which on Moto kit requires voiding warranty.


In what way? I have found both to work just fine without any issues.
Friends with Samsung S4 and S5, and Sony TVs, and friends with LG phones and Samsung TVs have had suttering audio when playing via Miracast. I've also seen stuttering video.

WiFi at the place was fine, only network on the channel and no problems streaming media to the SmartTV using netflix etc.
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Old 09-03-2015, 13:28
jchamier
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Thats a bit of a contrived example surely

Buying something off the Google Play store without owning anything Android
Er, I own a Moto G android, and could buy a movie on Google Play, but I then have to watch it on the Moto's tiny screen, or buy a Chromecast. That isn't much different to the Apple approach except the Chromecast is cheap.

Lots of people have older TVs that aren't smart, and will want them to run 10+ years before replacement.
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