Apple TV New Generation is equipped with Siri for easy navigation

It seems like a long time since Apple updated the Apple TV. But Tim Cook and his team finally reveal the latest innovation in television segment. No, Apple is not launching a TV just like Samsung and other brands. The latest generation of Apple TV is still a set-top box, but with improvements in almost all aspects.

The only thing that hasn't changed is the design, where Apple TV still resembles to Mac Mini but in a black bandage. Instead, the body is slightly thicker because Apple has to provide all components with the latest specifications.

Apple TV is now powered by the A8 chip where its performance has been proven through the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Apple claims that the 1080p 60 fps video streaming on the latest Apple TV will run very smoothly, similarly, when opening or switching applications.

Accompanying the Apple TV is a new remote control called Siri Remote. Yes, you can now ask Siri to help you navigating the Apple TV simply by holding down a button and start talking.

Siri on the Apple TV can understand your instructions contextually. Suppose first you ask Siri to display a list of action films, then you can ask Siri to sort and display only the James Bond film series. Furthermore, you can even instruct Siri to display the James Bond films that are starring Sean Connery.

There is no up-down or left-right buttons in this brand-new remote; all of them rely on a glass layered capacitive touch panel on the top of the remote for easy operation. The connectivity relies on Bluetooth so you don't need to point it to the TV. The battery is claimed can last for three months before it needs to be charged via the Lightning connector.

But new hardware alone can't fully describe the Apple TV. Software also plays an important role, as you can see from the example scenario of Siri usage above. Apple decides to design a new operating system, tvOS, which takes iOS as the basis platform. As a result, not only features a new look, swipe-based navigation, and Siri, the Apple TV is now also equipped with its own App Store.

The presence of Apple TV App Store allows users to download a variety of applications, including the game applications. To play games on the Apple TV, you can rely on Siri Remote which has been equipped with an accelerometer and a gyroscope that make it equal with a Nintendo Wii controller. Suppose you play baseball, you just need to swing the Siri Remote to hit the ball.

Games on Apple TV also support multiplayer mode. Does this multiplayer mode require several Siri Remotes at once? No, your friends and family can also play the games by connecting an iPhone or iPod Touch as a controller. With the capability of A8 chip to process the graphics, and a lot of game contents on the Apple TV Store, there's possibility that one day Apple TV will be able to compete in the game console arena together with Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

This new generation of Apple TV will go on sale at the end of October in two variants: 32 GB variant for $ 149 and 64 GB variant for $ 199.