I have a rapidly aging Apple TV 4K that feels like it's having more bad days than good these days, and it has me really hoping that a refreshed model is on the way. Rumors have been flying, but I've been burned time and time again, and it's left me with something that's closing in on 10 years old. Things have gotten dire enough for me to go back to my Google TV interface on my TV, but I don't think I'm going to stick with that.
One of the big reasons that I'm such a fan of my Apple TV 4K is that the interface is completely free of ads. It's the cleanest look you can get from any streamer, and it feels like a miracle in today's world. Google TV offers something called Apps only mode that you can toggle on, and while it sort of mimics what the Apple TV 4K has going for it, it's not the same.
Yes, it does a good job of showing my installed apps and removing a bunch of the bloat that I don't need, but it still keeps advertisements. That's to be expected, I suppose, but it's still disappointing that I can't fully capture the Apple TV 4K experience. What's frustrating is I don't even have any other Apple products besides the Apple TV 4K. It's just the best TV streamer around, and I don't think it's particularly close.
Quiz
Google TV trivia
challenge
How well do you know Google's smart TV platform?
From its origins to its quirkiest features — put your Google TV knowledge to
the ultimate test.
HistoryFeaturesHardwareStreamingAndroid
In what year did Google officially launch Google TV as a replacement for Android TV?
Correct! Google TV was unveiled in 2020 alongside the Chromecast with
Google TV. It replaced Android TV as Google's primary smart TV platform, bringing a more content-forward
interface built around recommendations.
Not quite. Google TV…