Apple Updates the new AppleTV
Two of my major issues with the new AppleTV have already been resolved:
1. Remote app on iOS - One of my biggest complaints about the AppleTV 2105, is that it no longer worked with the Remote app. This meant that anytime you had to type in a password, you had to bang through it on the "Siri Remote" that is included with the AppleTV. I tried out the Remote app on my iPhone and I could even copy and paste into the Remote app which is great for those using Password managers to create complicated passwords. However, the big benefit is having the iOS keyboard available for typing. (Note: It still doesn't support Bluetooth keyboards, but to be honest, I would personally never use one with it. It would be nice for those outside the Apple mobile ecosystem, though.)
2. Siri integration into Apple Music - Siri is the main reason I use Apple Music. It is amazingly convenient for listening to music at work and listening to music in the car. The downside was that when the AppleTV was released, you had to type in search terms with the remote (partially resolved with the Remote app support I mentioned above). Now you can just say "Play the Thriller album by Michael Jackson" or "play Wee Small Hours by Frank Sinatra" (Happy Birthday, Frank!!) and it will start playing. Also works with commands like "play top hits from 2011" or "play Stone Temple Pilots", which will play their biggest hits. It is AWESOME!
I should mention that it is a bit more picky about how you say the search terms, and in some cases, it gets confused between music and movies. For example, I said "Play Charlie Parker" and it brought up a Benny Goodman movie. However, when I said "Play Music by Charlie Parker" it plays music.
There was also a reported update so that it will work with the Apple Watch, but I don't have a watch, so I can't comment on that one.
For me, these were HUGE updates. I have also heard rumors that Amazon Prime is coming and the AppleTV will eventually be able to be controlled with Siri on iOS. It is great to see the AppleTV move out of "hobby" status with Apple and get game changing updates.
See my prior post with initial thoughts on the AppleTV 2015 version here.