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Never lose your Apple TV remote again

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A place for everything and everything in its place -- including your Apple TV remote.
A place for everything and everything in its place -- including your Apple TV remote.
Photo: Elago

Always wondering where you left the Apple TV remote? Maybe you should always put it in the same place when you’re done with it. And Elago makes that easy with its updated magnetic Metal Plate R1.

Just stick it to a surface on or near your TV and your R1 remote sticks to it. And viola, once you get in the habit of putting it back there, your remote is always where it’s supposed to be.

tvOS 17 takes FaceTime to the big (TV) screen

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With the tvOS 17 update, FaceTime comes to Apple TV 4K for the first time.
With the tvOS 17 update, FaceTime comes to Apple TV 4K for the first time.
Photo: Apple
WWDC23

Apple said Monday in the WWDC23 Keynote that tvOS 17 brings FaceTime to Apple TV 4K for the first time. So you can put your calls with family, friends and colleagues on the biggest screen you have.

“tvOS 17 transforms the biggest screen in the home with FaceTime and new video conferencing capabilities, giving Apple TV 4K users the ability to easily connect with anyone right from their living room,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

“New features and enhancements make Apple TV simpler to use and even more enjoyable, reinforcing it as the absolute best option in the living room for Apple customers,” he added.

Apple TV 4K now lets you watch 4 sports streams at once

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Multiview now available for MLS Season Pass and Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV 4K
The new multiview feature on Apple TV 4K can show up to four simultaneous streams on MLS Season Pass or Friday Night Baseball.
Image: Apple

Apple rolled out its new multiview feature on Apple TV 4K Thursday. It lets sports fans watch four streams at once, mixing and matching programming in a choice of layouts.

And that programming can include not just Major League Soccer matches and Friday Night Baseball games, but also selected MLS and MLB live shows with commentators.

The faster new 4K Apple TV is now on sale

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Apple TV 4K 2022 launch: With an A15 Bionic chip inside a slightly smaller form factor, the new Apple TV 4K performs better yet is more energy efficient.
The new Apple TV 4K is cheaper than its predecessor.
Photo: Apple

Announced in mid-October, Apple’s latest streaming box—the 2022 Apple TV 4K—is now on sale. Pre-order customers are also receiving their units today.

The newest Apple TV 4K is faster and cheaper than its predecessor and has Thread support to control your smart home devices.

Apple’s new products leave us slightly perplexed [The CultCast]

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The CultCast 565 Apple podcast: Not too bad for an Apple product launch event that never actually happened, I guess.
Not too bad for an Apple product launch event that never actually happened, I guess.
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: For once, Apple’s new products leave us scratching our heads more than reaching for our wallets. We let loose our first impressions of this week’s new iPads, the surprisingly affordable Apple TV 4K, that ridiculous Apple Pencil dongle and more.

Also on The CultCast:

  • Is the new Magic Keyboard Folio really all that magical? Some features sound great, but we don’t think it will turn your iPad into a laptop — at least not one you can use on your lap!
  • Apple might’ve burned a cool million on the #TakeNote Twitter hashflag for the event that never happened.
  • Logitech knows how to make a stylus right.
  • What’s up with that USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter? Like everyone else in the Apple universe, we’re not diggin’ the dongle.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

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New Apple TV 4K is faster and cheaper

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Apple TV 4K 2022 launch: With an A15 Bionic chip inside a slightly smaller form factor, the new Apple TV 4K performs better yet is more energy efficient.
The latest Apple TV 4K is more powerful than ever.
Photo: Apple

Apple has unveiled the 2022 Apple TV 4K with significantly faster internals and a lower price. It features the same A15 Bionic chip found inside the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 series.

The 2022 Apple TV carries a lower starting price of $129, making it $50 cheaper than the previous model.

Home automation gets smarter for Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini owners

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HomePod mini is one of the devices that can be a Thread 1.3.0 border router.
HomePod mini is one of the devices that can be a Thread 1.3.0 border router.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

A major Thread networking standard update Tuesday brings the Matter home automation technology standard a step closer for those who already own certain devices. Namely, gear that can act as a border router in the smart home — like Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini.

Thread 1.3.0 lets Thread devices work with any other Thread border router. That’s big because Thread will be Matter’s main wireless protocol, along with Wi-Fi.

Apple TV 4K hits lowest price ever

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The current Siri Remote was an improvement on its predecessor.
Apple TV 4K at 32GB and 64GB are both at best-ever prices right now.
Photo: Apple

Amazon Prime Day runs officially on Tuesday and Wednesday, but many deals, including bargains on Apple gear, tend to creep in early.

Earlier today it was Apple Watch 7 hitting a new low price, and now it’s Apple TV 4K — now at its lowest price ever on Amazon.

How to master the Siri Remote scroll wheel

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Does the Siri Remote have you going around in circles?
Does the Siri Remote have you going around in circles?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

When Apple TV 4K launched last year, it had fans salivating. But not for the sharper picture or faster processor. It was the new Siri Remote that caught everyone’s eye. Had Cupertino finally made a TV remote control that didn’t suck?

With its iPod-style scroll wheel, the second-generation Siri Remote promised to make scrolling through content effortless. In reality, the scroll wheel turned out to be hard to use, and lacked support from third-party apps like YouTube.

But don’t throw your remote at the TV just yet. When you get the hang of its quirks, the Siri Remote scroll wheel works surprisingly well. And you can use it with loads of essential apps, including Netflix, HBO Max and, of course, Apple TV+.

You won’t be repairing the Apple TV 4K Siri Remote in a hurry

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The new Siri Remote comes with exciting new input options, like a jog wheel.
It's a big improvement from its predecessor. But not easy to open up.
Photo: Apple

Most people haven’t gotten their hands on the 2021 Apple TV 4K yet. The good folks at iFixit have not only picked one up, but they’ve also stripped it down to peer inside.

A new teardown video suggests that the next-gen set-top box could be fairly straightforward to fix. However, don’t expect that same repair ease to apply to the upgraded Siri Remote.

The flimsy reason Apple TV Siri Remote doesn’t feature AirTag tracking tech

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Apple's new Apple TV 4K with redesigned Siri Remote
Wouldn't it have been great if the Siri Remote featured some of Apple's smart AirTag tracking tech?
Photo: Apple

Of all the items that get misplaced regularly in my home, the TV remote has got to rank up there as number one. Other items, such as keys and wallet, may have a smaller footprint, but for whatever reason it’s the TV remote which constantly winds up going MIA.

With Apple redesigning the hated Siri Remote for its 2021 Apple TV 4K, you’d think it would be the perfect time to add some kind of tracking functionality to the device. After all, Apple’s just introduced AirTag, its location-tracking smart tech which promises to help you locate those hard-to-find with impressive accuracy.

Surely Apple could have squeezed its U1 Precision Tracking tech into the revamped Siri Remote? Apparently not. And according to a somewhat cryptic comment by Tim Twerdahl, Apple’s vice president of product marketing for home and audio, it’s to do with it being too thick. Or something.

Want a new Apple TV 4K? Sell your old model for upgrade cash

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apple tv upgrade
Apple might combine video and music into one subscription.
Photo: Apple

The new Apple TV 4K with faster A12 Bionic processor, high frame rate HDR, and all-new Siri Remote is out now. Prices start at just $179, and there is a way to make yours even more affordable.

Sell your old Apple TV (and other Apple devices) to Cult of Mac today and we’ll send you a nice stack of cash to make your upgrade more affordable.

Are we high?!? 10 ways Apple blew our minds on 4/20

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Apple Spring Loaded event: 10 ways Apple blew our minds on 4/20.
Man, that was one powerful presentation.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

It’s 4/20 and Apple’s big iMac and iPad Pro launch event was a total trip. The new Mac desktop comes in a rainbow of colors, and the M1 processor in the latest tablet will blow you away. And there’s AirTag too, at long last.

Grab some snacks and get ready to find out what the new products mean for Apple users and for the company’s future.

Apple TV 4K gets speedy A12 chip and sweet new Siri Remote

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Apple's new Apple TV 4K with redesigned Siri Remote
Apple TV's sixth-gen version is here. As is a new remote.
Photo: Apple

Apple took the wraps off the new sixth-generation Apple TV 4K on Tuesday. The upgraded set-top box boasts Apple’s A12 Bionic chip, which should bring a welcome performance boost. But perhaps more importantly, Apple redesigned the controversial Siri Remote.

The upgraded remote packs a new clickpad control system, a touch-sensitive ring that makes it easy to jog video backward and forward, and dedicated power and mute buttons.

We talk our WWDC ’20 hardware predictions plus big iPhone 12 leaks, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 442: AirPods with health sensors
WWDC 2020 goes virtual, and it's gonna be different.
Image: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: Apple announces WWDC 2020! We talk our hardware and software predictions. Plus: A new leak gives us some exciting info on the upcoming Apple TV hardware, and the iPhone 12 lineup, including some surprising prices and new features. And we wrap up with a look at the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, so stay tuned!

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Apple TV reigns with best picture quality among streaming devices in pandemic’s early days

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Apple TV Siri Remote
Streaming video quality during early 2020 was above par using Apple TV devices.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

While it might be far down the pecking order of best selling streaming boxes, the Apple TV and Apple TV 4K got high marks in the first quarter of this year for best picture quality speed and shortest lag time in starting videos, according to data collected from billions of sensors embedded into video applications.

The results are a clear sign of how well streaming devices and services performed in a period where more people around the world were homebound due to the coronavirus pandemic and turned to watching television en masse.

iOS 13.4 beta code hints at new Apple TV device

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Apple TV Siri Remote
Apple TV is due for an upgrade.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

An updated Apple TV 4K could soon roll out of Apple’s product pipeline, based on references to an unreleased product discovered in the latest iOS beta.

9to5Mac unearthed clues in iOS 13.4 beta 1 that signal a new Apple TV 4K is currently in development. Considering the company hasn’t released new Apple TV hardware since fall 2017, the wait for a new set-top box may not be much longer.

Apple TV 4K users lose Dolby Vision for Apple TV+ content

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AppleTV+
How are Apple Originals looking on your TV?
Photo: Roku

Some Apple TV 4K owners are reporting that they can no longer enjoy Apple TV+ content in Dolby Vision.

Titles like The Morning Show and See are still available in standard HDR. But even earlier episodes, which were available with Dolby Vision initially, can no longer be watched in the enhanced format.

Play on! tvOS 13 brings Apple Arcade to Apple TV

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Oceanhorn 2 on Apple TV through Apple Arcade
Oceanhorn 2 is one of the Apple Arcade games available with tvOS 13.
Photo: Apple

After months of beta testing, the full version of tvOS 13 launched to the public today. Updates to the Apple TV operating system don’t often make headlines, but this one stands out because it brings support for the all-you-play Apple Arcade service.

tvOS 13 also allows some off-the-shelf game controllers to be used, as well as non-game improvements.

Live chat: Watch Apple’s iPhone 11 keynote with us

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iPhone-11-watch-party
Get ready for Apple's latest innovations.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The stage of the Steve Jobs Theater is set for the biggest Apple keynote of the year — and we can’t wait to watch the iPhone 11 unveiling with you.

Rather than live-blogging the Apple “By Innovation Only” event, Cult of Mac is hosting a live chat so all our writers and readers of the site alike can nerd out on all the glory Tim Cook and the gang have in store. We know for sure we’re getting new iPhones but there’s still plenty of room for some surprises.

Could we see a new Apple TV set-top box? A Tile-style tracking device called Apple Tags? An Apple TV+ price tag and launch date? The anticipation is killing us. Apple’s iPhone 11 keynote kicks off Tuesday at 10 a.m. Pacific. Of course, we’ll be getting wild in the chat beforehand, so come in and join the fun.