![]() ![]() Like the previous model, the new one charges through a Lightning port at the bottom. I find myself using Siri to turn on subtitles or dim the lights just because its side button is satisfying to press. It makes me want to go to the trouble of bypassing the Roku interface, switching inputs, and hunting down something to watch (though the new power button combined with HDMI-CEC makes it easy to turn the TV and Apple TV on and switch to the input with a single press). Like the old aluminum Apple TV remote, I find myself holding it while watching a movie. In fact, the second-generation Siri Remote has made me surprisingly nostalgic. The second-generation Siri Remote is much thicker than its two predecessors. It’s much thicker (0.36 inches / 9.25 mm) and heavier (2.2 ounces / 64 g) than either of its forebears, though I wouldn’t describe it as thick or heavy. Unlike the pancake-flat original Siri Remote, this one brings back sharp aluminum edges and a curved back. Finally, Apple moved the Siri button to the side, reducing accidental invocations. Even more welcome for some is the new Mute button, which you can use with HDMI-CEC or by programming the volume buttons to control your TV or soundbar volume (in Settings > Remotes and Devices > Volume Control). If you have an HDMI-CEC-compatible television, the power button can also turn your TV on and off. The Siri Remote now features a power button. The second-generation Siri Remote blends elements from its two predecessors. The evolution of Apple TV remotes over the past decade. But it still has a touchpad of sorts, officially called the Clickpad, that resides in the center of the directional ring and serves as both touchpad and select button (technically, the entire ring plus the central touch surface is the Clickpad). Apple has brought back the all-aluminum body, directional ring, and clicky buttons from the remote that preceded the original Siri Remote. The second-generation Siri Remote is a merging of the previous two Apple TV remotes. Perhaps Apple gave the second-generation Siri Remote the same name as the previous abomination in an effort to overwrite it in search engines and the history books of industrial design. I don’t know why it took so long to correct such an obvious faux pas, but Apple finally has, with a new remote called… the Siri Remote. That original Siri Remote easily makes the top ten list of worst Apple designs. The buttons felt mushy, and since much of it was made of glass, we always handled it with kid gloves or enveloped it in rubbery cases. To top it all off, the build quality seemed cheap, at least by Apple standards. The touchpad surface was too sensitive for scrubbing through video, lacked the necessary precision for anything beyond the most casual games, and made even casual games frustrating. It’s a TV remote! It’s a game controller! It’s a floor wax! It’s a dessert topping! The result was a device that made almost no one happy. ![]() The chief sin of the original Siri Remote was that it tried to be all things to all people. Even though it easily fell between couch cushions, I often found myself fiddling with it while watching TV, running my fingers along the smooth aluminum. That was in stark contrast to the aluminum remote that shipped with the second- and third-generation Apple TV boxes. Often, that was because I couldn’t even find it, leading me to use Apple’s Remote app and later the remote built into the iOS Control Center. I didn’t explicitly hate it, but over the years, I simply avoided using it. I don’t watch much TV these days, and the rest of the family has grown fond of the Roku software built into our TCL TV.Ī big part of why the Apple TV fell by the wayside in our house was the awful Siri Remote that Apple has been packing in the box since 2015. Despite having written Take Control of Apple TV back in 2014 and maintained it since, I don’t use the Apple TV often anymore. #1686: Please support TidBITS, OS security updates, Apple services poll results, biking with an iPhone.#1687: Feature-rich OS updates, recovering from a crashing bug in Contacts, Zoom for Apple TV, how much do you use widgets?.#1688: Former Apple engineer on watchOS 10, Apple hardware testing tool, Stolen Device Protection, Apple Watch sales halted, smart TV privacy abuses.#1689: Vision Pro ship date, evaluating new Apple device features, minor OS updates, iPhone passcode thief, Time Machine and iCloud Drive.#1690: BBEdit 15 adds ChatGPT, OS widget usage poll results, Magic Keyboard firmware update.
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