I think Roku has streaming perfected and has cornered the market. Apple TV will probably just be a thing diehard Apple folks will jump into, not the average everyday TV cord cutter. Most smart TV's are already pre-loaded with Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon now so APple is just too far behind to even catch up at this point. Plus they are so off the mark for pricing. You can cut the cord and start streaming via Roku for $30 or less (not including services of course.)
AppleTV will probably just stay niche at this point.
It’s a shame, I find the AppleTV to be superior in every way to the Roku. You get what you pay for, and for the extra price, Apple has designed a streaming box head and shoulders above everyone else, with a service to match.
I think it’s also worth the premium if you’re someone who purchases digital movies. Only the iTunes Store will automatically upgrade your purchase each time the title is bumped up to a new resolution, which saves you from having to rebuy a title. If you buy something on another storefront with a Roku, there are no such upgrades.
Good video essay from RR. My summary view is that the past couple years shows Apple the absolute best consumer electronics hardware design and manufacturing company on the planet. But their software and UX skills are declining; or at least not as good as the hardware running inadequate and inconsistent software.
Siri? Good for setting a kitchen timer. But the mouthful of “Hey Siri Overcast Play” to play my third-party podcast app is just too inhuman and I don’t use it like I expected.
3D Touch? This is a dead man walking UI element. Apple should just kill it, if they’re not going to 100% invest in making it a real, consistent interface system. And that it’s not even on the XR nor the iPads shows that it’s dead in all practicality.
iPad is a great media computer. And the $329 price ($229 on sale!!!) covers a great many iOS weaknesses. But the $1000 Pro line? Every good review I’ve read has plainly discussed that iOS for iPad is inadequate for an 8 year old pro platform. The simple lack of external drive access is inexcusable.
And it’s shameful that Apple builds it App Store profits on addiction-based games that prey on the few users that spend excessively for garbage freemium pay-to-win “games”.
Personally I think the ATV 4K is awesome. But I buy that instead of other options for the same reason I bought the Kindle Voyage instead of a basic one.
As far as the Mini, the 2018 version is a home run. The fact that Apple screwed the pooch on the Mini the last four years plays no factor in the new one.