For a few short hours last week, Apple TV software update 6.0 was available. However, due to a variety of glitches, had been pulled. The patched software has made its triumphant return today, featuring iTunes Radio along with a few playback and synchronization enhancements. While iTunes Radio is frequently compared to Pandora, it feels more like a platform to merely sell tracks – given prices displayed all over the place. And if I wanted to listen to music through my TV, I’d head over to the way more visually stimulating VEVO — MTV for the digital age. Of course, Airplay remains unrivaled… although Google’s $35 DIAL-powered Chromecast dongle looks real promising. But I’m still holding out hope for a more powerful aTV, sporting a full fledged app store and the ability to take advantage of iOS’ new gaming controller API – I think you know where I’m going here. Folders for ‘My Apps’ versus the current Roku-esque clutter would also be an appreciated enhancement.
From the release notes:
Tunes Radio | Create your own radio stations and listen to them ad-free with iTunes Match. (Available only in the United States.) |
iTunes Music Store | Browse, purchase, and play music directly from the iTunes Music Store. |
iCloud Photos | Adds support for playing video from a shared photo stream and viewing photo streams from multiple contributors. |
AirPlay from iCloud | Apple TV will play content from iTunes in the Cloud instead of your AirPlay device when possible. Requires iOS 7 on AirPlay device. |
Podcasts | Sync your podcasts and podcast stations across Apple TV and all your iOS devices. |
Subtitles & Captioning | Automatic subtitle selection based on Apple TV language setting. Customize closed caption style. |
Conference Room Display | Lock Apple TV into Conference Room Display (for business and education environments) and show onscreen instructions for using AirPlay. |