As soon as upon a time, my iPhone and Mac dominated my display time. I’d use the previous for texting, social media scrolling, listening to music, and so forth, whereas the latter would deal with work duties, film streaming, and lengthy web-browsing classes. However a couple of years in the past, every part modified—when a less-popular Apple product unexpectedly joined my workflow.
When somebody mentions the Apple TV, you instantly consider Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Max, and the like. All of those providers provide native tvOS apps, making the streaming field the right hub to accommodate them. Its utility, nonetheless, extends past streaming platforms, because the machine excels at a variety of duties. At this level, my Apple TV wakes up the second I do and solely hibernates as soon as I’m in deep sleep.
Match to instruct
I’ve been utilizing Apple Health+ for the reason that service launched in late 2020. At this level, you possibly can play the guided exercise movies on an iPhone or iPad—even for those who don’t personal an Apple Watch. Whereas its cellular availability makes Health+ extra accessible, I discover it onerous to focus on the coaches’ strikes on the small screens.
I begin my mornings with 20-Half-hour of high-intensity interval coaching (HIIT)—a exercise that includes quite a lot of leaping and dashing across the room. The Health app on my Apple TV makes it manageable to maintain up with the trainers, as regardless of the place I stand I can nonetheless see the content material clearly on the massive display.
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Tunes that fill the room
After my Apple TV completes its health instruction duties, it strikes on to music. In line with my Replay 2024, I spent over 97,000 minutes listening to music final yr. That’s a mean of 4-5 hours of steady playback each single day. Whether or not I’m having espresso, getting home chores executed, or having a shower, I get pleasure from having music enjoying within the background.
What I particularly love about Apple Music on tvOS is the dwell lyrics perk, which shows the verses in actual time. Even when I’m sparing my neighbors’ ears and never singing together with the devoted karaoke mode, having animated lyrics on the large display makes the listening expertise livelier.
After I go to mattress, I additionally play (with the TV display off) the Sleep radio, which gives soothing melodies for Apple Music subscribers. I ask Siri to routinely cease playback an hour later, and I’ve surprisingly by no means skilled any points with this specific request.
So, coupled with a HomePod mini stereo pair, the Apple TV has change into my go-to machine for any sort of indoor music streaming.
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First alternative for a second display
Past health and music, my Apple TV assists me at work. Due to Apple’s tight ecosystem integrations, the streaming field doubles as a wi-fi exterior monitor for my MacBook Air. This lets me transfer particular app home windows to the bigger display for reference, whereas I work with the built-in show. No dongles, no HDMI cables, no struggles. The Apple TV additionally helps common AirPlay receiving, which lets me conveniently mirror movies from my iPhone when a local tvOS app is unavailable.
Stream machine
It goes with out saying that the Apple TV additionally serves common TV functions. So, after I’m consuming within the night, I have a tendency to look at Apple TV+ reveals or films on Mubi. I additionally depend on it to compensate for the newest Macworld Podcast episodes on YouTube and to remain up to date on occasional information. With help for 4K, HDR, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, and Dolby Atmos, the Apple TV actually delivers a cinematic viewing expertise.
Play isn’t only a distant button
That’s not all. Paired with a Sony DualSense controller, my Apple TV additionally occurs to be my recreation console of alternative. The sport amount and high quality are actually restricted when in comparison with the intensive libraries on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Change, or PC. Nonetheless, there are some stable titles on the App Retailer and Apple Arcade that are perfect for informal players like me.
A few of my private favourite tvOS video games embody The Binding of Isaac, Lifeless Cells, Sneaky Sasquatch, and Pac-Man Get together Royale. Though I typically lengthy for actual video games, it’s a compromise I settle for for the comfort of an all-in-one machine.
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FullScreen FaceTime
My Apple TV’s ultimate obligation is connecting me to my buddies by way of FaceTime, particularly when there are many matters to debate. The TV field connects to my iPad Air’s microphones and front-facing digicam to transmit my audio and video streams. It additionally helps the Heart Stage characteristic, so I stay in body even when getting stuff executed and strolling across the room throughout lengthy chat classes.
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An iPod, a TV, and a health coach
Rising up, TVs didn’t play a serious function in my life—I spent most of my childhood studying novels as a substitute. At the same time as an grownup, films and sequence don’t attraction to me a lot, as I typically discover their plots repetitive. That’s why it took me some time to justify shopping for an Apple TV. In spite of everything, why would I want one?
As we speak, the streaming field has change into by far my most-used Apple machine and certainly one of my favourite investments in my setup. My Apple TV is now an all-day digital companion. We get up collectively, train, work, take heed to music, binge reveals, join with buddies, play video video games—you title it. And after I lose curiosity in gaming or watching films infrequently, it nonetheless turns out to be useful when performing different every day duties. It is probably not the flashiest Apple product, however it by no means sits idly or loses its goal in my family.
