APPLE’S NEW TV… REMOTE
For the new Apple TV 4K it’s all about the remote.
Apple TV users will know and probably actively dislike the remote that came with the previous model – it had some odd design flaws which made it difficult to use. Not great for a company famed for its fabulously user-friendly design ethos.
Anyway, all that has changed with the 2021 remote. Having had one in my hands for a few days, I can tell you things have definitely changed for the better.
The Apple TV 4K itself has changed little save for a radical processor upgrade – it now features the Apple A12 Bionic chip (the one used in the current iPad). It’s a big upgrade on the four–year–old A10x used in the previous model, so expect better gaming capabilities and much better video.
It offers access to lots of apps, including all the usual streaming suspects, like Netflix, NOW, and
Disney+. You can also access your Apple content, like Apple Music, Photos, and Fitness+ videos, as well as games either via the App Store or the Apple Arcade subscription service.
The remote, though, is where all the focus should be – it’s bigger and has the buttons offset from the centre, so you won’t pick it up the wrong way around, and the touch surface has been upgraded to include four-way directional navigational buttons for moving more precisely around on–screen venues.
There’s also a touch–sensitive jog wheel (reminiscent of the early iPod) that allows you to scrub through video backwards and forwards to find the stuff you want.
Two new buttons have been added – a mute button and an off button which you can use to control your TV as well as the set–top box.
The new remote rights most of the wrongs with the old one and makes the Apple TV 4K a much more compelling choice for those already immersed in the Apple eco–system.
The latest software offers a neat feature that allows you to correct the colour balance on your television, bypassing the confusing settings on the TV itself – as long as you have an iPhone. The camera on your phone analyses your TV’s
The new remote for Apple TV 4K colour output and adjusts it in the Apple TV for a better picture.
Another interesting feature inside the new Apple TV is support for the new–ish Thread smart home network.
Although the protocol – which allows users to create a low– powered mesh network of devices in their home for much more reliable connections than current protocols – is not yet widely used, building it into devices like the Apple TV could see its popularity increase.
The Thread standard was developed by a group of tech giants that includes Google and Amazon as well as Apple, so I would bet against it.
The Apple TV 4K costs from £169. The new remote, which is compatible with Apple TV HD as well all previous generations of Apple TV 4K, is available standalone for £55.