What's Cracking Everyone: The New Apple TV 4K Gen 2

We're here today to talk about the new Apple TV 4K, also known as the Apple TV 6 or Apple TV 4K Gen 2. This is the latest model from Apple, and it's set to release on May 21st. As we dive into what's new and improved in this device, I want to acknowledge that not everyone needs to upgrade to this new model. In fact, for most of you, there may not be a compelling reason to make the switch.

Smart Home Users Rejoice with Thread Support

One of the exciting features of the new Apple TV 4K is its support for Thread, a new connectivity feature that's already been introduced in the HomePod Mini. Thread allows for seamless communication between various smart home devices, making it easier to control your home from one place. With the new Apple TV 4K, you can now take advantage of this feature and enjoy a more streamlined experience.

Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 Takes Center Stage

For many of us, Wi-Fi 6 is the biggest upgrade in the new Apple TV 4K. This latest generation of wireless connectivity offers significantly faster speeds and better performance than its predecessor. With Wi-Fi 6, you can expect smoother streaming, faster downloads, and a more responsive experience overall.

Other Upgrades, But Not Game-Changers

While the upgrades in the new Apple TV 4K are certainly welcome, they may not be enough to justify an upgrade for everyone. The processor, which is still an A10 Fusion or A10X Fusion chip (an older model), won't be a major concern for most users. In fact, I've had two Apple TVs in my house without feeling slowed down by the processor.

The only reason you might want to consider upgrading now is if you're holding off on buying a 4K TV until an updated model becomes available. The new Apple TV 4K Gen 2 is definitely an improvement over its predecessor, but it's not necessarily worth the upgrade for most people.

New Remote: A Worthwhile Upgrade?

One aspect of the new Apple TV 4K that I do think is worthwhile upgrading to is the updated remote. The new Siri Remote can be purchased separately from the Apple TV 4K, and at $60, it's a relatively affordable option. If you're in the market for an Apple TV and just want to upgrade your remote, this might be a good choice.

In Conclusion: Is the New Apple TV 4K Worth It?

So, is the new Apple TV 4K Gen 2 worth it? For most of us, probably not. The upgrades are nice, but they may not be enough to justify an upgrade for everyone. If you're feeling yearning for a new Apple TV and just want to get a feel for what's new, consider purchasing the Siri Remote instead. That way, you can experience the benefits of the new remote without breaking the bank or upgrading to a whole new device.

But if you do fall into one of the niche categories where this upgrade will make a big difference (such as frequent gamers or those who need high frame rate content), then go for it! The updated Apple TV 4K Gen 2 is definitely worth considering.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's cracking everyone it is andrew here from apple insider and i am overjoyed that all of you are hanging out today thank you so much for spending some time here as we chat about the new apple tv now this is the prior gen the last gen apple tv 4k and we're gonna be talking about the new model the 2021 apple tv apple tv 6 apple tv 4k gen 2 whatever you want to call it but it is the newest apple tv that's getting ready to release on may 21st and we're going to be talking about everything new on that device and then specifically why most of you probably don't need to upgrade to it most of you probably don't need to buy it so we're going to talk about why that is and i want to get your guys opinion so let me know on twitter at andrew underscore osu and we'll talk about it but first let's go ahead and talk about what is new on the brand new 2021 apple tv so with the new apple tv apple did upgrade quite a bit uh that i think is important so first up for smart home users there is thread support so thread is a new connectivity feature first debut in the homepod mini and there are a bunch of different smart home products that work with home kit and thread eve has a whole line out the eve energy eve door and window contact sensor the eve aqua we also saw some stuff from nano leaf there's the light strip and the essentials bulb and even belkin is getting in on it with the wemo stage scene controller which little button to control your scenes turn stuff on and off all that works with thread and you do need some sort of what thread calls a border router which is a device that bridges between your thread network and your internet and everything and the new apple tv does include support for thread so thread is included on the new one speaking of kind of wireless connectivity stuff we have wi-fi six honestly that's probably the biggest one for me because wi-fi six is so much more incredible than wi-fi five uh or the ac that we saw on the previous generation so wi-fi 6 and the new one too getting into more detailed hardware specs on the inside apple's upgrade the processor from what i think was an a10 fusion processor a10x fusion processor to the a12 bionic processor so it's not the current generation process but it's an older processor so two generations do a processor inside of the updated apple tv uh part of that enabling new features is on around the back we have a new hdmi port so it's going from hdmi 2 to hdmi 2.1 which will enable high frame rate hdr content apple says they are working with a bunch of different providers including nbc paramount plus fox sports all to enable high frame rate content on your apple tv so whether it's you know youtube videos that are in high frame rate hdr whether it is sports whether it is nature documentaries all that stuff is going to look super gorgeous in that higher frame rate and hdr so that is enabled in part by the new hdmi 2.1 port around the back and if you don't want to watch it through any of the native apps on the apple tv you can now airplay 4k hdr content in high frame rate so if you've got hdr high frame stuff on your phone cast it up to your apple tv now that can be pretty cool if you have a iphone 12 because they can capture hdr content dolby vision content that you can now put up in their full frame rate to your apple tv so awesome there if you got one of their new devices finally the last thing that upgraded this time around is the remote so apple has done away with this generation siri remote and replaced it for a new one so a new generation siri remote has a cool little ipod style click wheel around the outside to allow you to move forward and backward and select the exact frame you want while you're looking at a video or audio or anything like that you can also swipe around on it's a five-directional d-pad yeah overall just a really nice upgraded remote there's an actual power button on the remote now that you can use to turn off your tv by itself and uh overall just an improved remote got rid of the whole glass front so it should be more durable than this model was but with all those changes should you bother upgrading and i know some of you already have an opinion in mind some of you were already like no i'm not going to upgrade and i think that's the right decision for 90 of you out there most people are not going to pay a ton of attention to uh hdr content or specifically high frame hdr content the reason that you would want to upgrade that is if you were a really big sports fan but even right now there's not a lot of hdr content in high frame it's going to be available appleton is working with these people but none of them have officially been announced yet so that high frame rate hdr content for you know football and everything it's not even there yet so that should not be a huge reason for users to upgrade the only reason i kind of say it would be good to upgrade aside from when that frame rate high frame rate content comes out is if you have an aging apple tv hd and you're holding off and buying the 4k until an updated model comes out if that is the boat you're in then do it this is far better than the prior generation um in a number of ways and it's the newest one out so apple isn't releasing a new apple tv 4k for quite a while now so if you were holding on waiting to upgrade now is the time to do it to jump to the updated apple tv 4k gen 2. but for most of you out there it doesn't make sense i have you know two apple tv 4ks in my house and i've never felt slowed down by the a10 fusion processor a10x fusion processor inside it never felt slow to me it wasn't giving me any issues in terms of performance or games or anything like that so right now there's just not that huge need to upgrade you're not going to probably care about the high framework hdr there's not a huge need for more power this second maybe as apple increases its apple arcade library and comes out with some really cool titles that are best played on your tv then i can see it being a worthwhile upgrade because at that point you're kind of buying it partially for a console but in terms of just apple tv performance everything is going to be the same everything pretty much operates the same thread support is nice but homepod minis are just as easy to pick up and people may already have the want to add those to their home versus an apple tv it's nice to have it there but again it is definitely not necessary the one reason that i think is most drawing for the apple tv is the updated remote the updated siri remote and the apple tv series remote can be purchased on its own for 60 bucks you can just buy a new apple tv remote for your existing apple tv hd your apple tv 4k and use that instead so pick that up by itself and kind of get yourself an upgraded experience without having to spend 179 on the apple tv that's kind of what i think most people should do if you're kind of yearning for the new one just buy a new remote go that route then you still have a backup if you've got your existing tv remote i think that's the best choice for most people out there but change my mind let me know over on twitter and your underscore osu do you think it's worth upgrading to the new apple tv 4k gen 2 the processor doesn't bother me that it's an older processor and i think other upgrades are really worthwhile but they are not upgrade worthy on their own unless you're very niche in what you're looking for you really play a lot of games in your apple tv you really want to get that high frame rate content as soon as you can for those people do it but otherwise hold out stick with your existing apple tv 4k or pick up the siri remote if you're in the market for an apple tv you can't go wrong with a new model but upgraders probably not worth it you\n"