https://youtu.be/1zYY0LCZgG0 It has been rumored for years that Apple was developing a product that would revolutionize how we experience television. And what I expected most was for this product to free me from cable companies. Does the new Apple TV live up to the years of built up expectation? In terms of design the Apple TV is simple and doesn’t distract. The remote looks and feels amazing. It is has six buttons a touch surface. You can call up Siri, adjust volume, and control games. Even though the touch surface is a main selling point. It did not do it for me. Sure it’s better, but not by much. Oddly the iphone remote app is not compatible with the new Apple TV. So, you have no convenient way to enter text. When it comes to performance the Apple TV has an A8 64-bit chip. Everything about the Apple TV is snappy and responsive. Games look good This is the best gaming performance you can get out side of the playstation and xbox. It lacks 4k support, but there still isn’t a lot of 4k content so at this point you probably won’t miss it much. The connections will have you covered with HDMI 1.4 and Ethernet. Siri can be a mixed experience on the iPhone. But when Siri has to only answer questions that pertain to movies and tv shows it performs consistently. Apple TV has most of the services you will want. Netflix, Hulu and, of course, iTunes are all here. A significant number of my digital movies are through VUDU, so it is disappointing to see that there is no VUDU app. It is odd that there are apps from VUDU and Amazon Video on the iPhone but not on the Apple TV. Even though the potential of TV-OS is promising, you still need to have a cable subscription to access the shows and movies you normally watch. Specifically, there is no way for you to watch NBC, Fox, ABC, ESPN or AMC for the Walking dead without a subscription. But say you choose to only go with apps that require a monthly subscription. Here is short list that most of us would consider. HBO Now ( for game of thrones) $14.99 , Showtime $11, CBS All Access $6, Netflix (house of cards) $8.99, and let’s add HULU for access to from FOX, NBC and ABC. That’ll cost $11.99. and through the league passes for the NBA($30/month) and MLB($19) that will cost you $101.99/month. If you can skip sports and premium channels and just go with HULU. $11.99 a month is not bad. Any benefits in cost evaporate once you try to add sports. What can I say, the User Interface is second to none. It looks absolutely amazing. It is new and fresh and the parallax posters are a nice touch. This easily beats any UI from the competition. Overall it is really easy to find what I want. For $149 streaming box, the Apple TV offers the best experience when compared to chromecast or Amazon Fire TV. When compared to cable companies, it was disappointing to realize that you don’t actually save much money. Its hard to gauge whether the Apple TV is a great product or if its just the best streaming box amongst a set of mediocre streaming boxes. But the Apple TV has far more potential when compared to the competition. When more apps are created specifically for the Apple TV, apps that are truly interactive, then we will get something that more closely resembles the revolutionary product we’ve been waiting for.