Apple TV Products

• Apple offers three main TV products.
• The term “Apple TV” represents an app and a television device.
• “Apple TV 4K” refers solely to Apple’s TV appliance.
• “Apple TV+” is a streaming and on-demand video service provided by Apple.
• Although a smart TV may feature the Apple TV app, you still can’t download apps from Apple’s App Store onto your TV.
• The Apple TV device connects to a TV, enabling an iPhone-like experience delivering apps, games, and streaming services to your television.

What TV Products Does Apple Offer?

Apple TV refers to many different products, all created by Apple. You may have a Samsung, Panasonic, LG, or Sony TV with an Apple TV app. With it, you can access your favorite streaming services, rentals, and purchases; however, you can’t access Apple’s tvOS App Store. If you want to play a game from the App Store on your TV, you’ll need an Apple TV device.

The latest Apple TV product, Apple TV 4K, features an A15 Bionic processor. It’s the same chip used in the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus. Needless to say, it’s much more intelligent than any smart TV on the market.

If you love iPhone apps and games, many are available on Apple TV. Some games, such as the Asphalt racing series, are actually more fun to play on Apple TV than an iPhone. Apple TV’s included remote features a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, so you can steer a car simply by tilting the remote. Very cool!

If that’s not enough, there’s also Apple TV+, a premium subscription channel with award-winning shows and movies. You don’t need an Apple TV box to stream Apple TV+. Whether you have a free trial or are a paying subscriber, you can watch Apple TV plus on an iPhone, iPad, Windows PC, smart TV, Roku, Amazon Fire stick, and many other devices.

Apple invested a lot into its subscription TV product, but it’s still a fraction of the price of Netflix, Hulu, or other streaming providers. Popular Apple TV+ shows and movies include CODA (Academy Award for Best Picture), Ted Lasso (11 Emmys), and Severance (2 Emmys). Apple TV+ is the first streaming service to win Best Picture from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

What About AirPlay?

In addition to the Apple TV app, some televisions come with Apple’s AirPlay 2 technology built in. With AirPlay 2, you can easily beam just about anything to your television. If you don’t have an AirPlay 2 compatible TV, an Apple TV box connected to your TV also supports this content-beaming technology.

You can purchase an AirPlay 2 compatible TV from various manufacturers, including Sony, Amazon, LG, VIZIO, and Samsung. Roku’s inexpensive streaming sticks also support AirPlay 2. If you want to beam Apple TV and other apps from your iPhone to your TV, you can do it for less than $30. Just buy an inexpensive streaming stick and attach it to your HDMI port.

Apple provides a complete list of AirPlay 2-compatible TVs and streaming devices. If you watch a lot of video on your iPhone, AirPlay 2 makes it easy to beam shows and movies to the biggest screen in your home.

Does Apple TV Have Channels?

Instead of dealing with multiple streaming apps, the Apple TV app bundles all of your streaming channels into one clean user interface. The Apple TV app offers over 30 channels. Most of these are minor streaming services, such as Acorn TV, IFC, and AMC+. Subscriptions and cancellations are all completed within the app, making it easy to manage. 

Appledystopia has a complete guide to Apple TV channels, including how to subscribe and an up-to-date listing of every channel. For more information, please read “Apple TV Channels.”

Which TVs and Devices Support Apple TV?

For decades, you could only consume Apple content on their devices. Except for iTunes for Windows, it was a closed ecosystem. This all changed with Apple Music, which they eventually ported to Android.

For a long time, Apple earned excellent revenues from the iPhone. As iPhone sales declined due to market saturation, selling services became necessary. By expanding services to non-Apple devices, the company grew its revenue stream, offsetting plateaus and declining iPhone and iPad sales.

Today, the Apple TV app runs on almost every Apple device and a wide selection of non-Apple devices. Apple offers a complete list of compatible TVs and appliances. There’s even one cable company with the Apple TV app installed with its cable box.

What’s the Difference Between the Apple TV App and Apple TV Device?

The Apple TV app only supports streaming TV shows and movies. Except for Netflix and a few others, the Apple TV app contains your streaming services. It’s essentially a portal for all of your video needs.

The Apple TV device runs the Apple TV app and thousands of apps. An Apple TV box is basically like an iPhone that you connect to your TV. You can play games on your television with an Apple TV box. You can’t do that with the Apple TV app.

An Apple TV device runs the tvOS operating system. Many of your favorite iPhone apps, even complicated games, are available on the tvOS App Store.

What Apple TV Products Can I Buy?

Apple TV App:

The Apple TV app is free. You don’t need to buy it. It’s available on many devices, such as smart TVs, Roku and Fire TV boxes and sticks, and Apple products. You don’t even need to install it. On most devices, it’s already there. If not, visit your device’s app market to install it.

Apple TV+ Subscription Service:

You can purchase a subscription to Apple TV+. Apple’s popular streaming service features award-winning TV shows and movies, all for only $6.99 a month. Apple gives you a free three-month trial when you buy almost any new Apple product.

Apple TV Device:

Apple TV, the device, is a small, hockey-puck-shaped device containing an iPhone processor. After connecting Apple TV to a television with an HDMI cable, users can install apps from the App Store.

This year, Apple launched the 2022 4K Apple TV, with up to 128 GB of storage, an A15 Bionic processor, and ethernet connectivity. You can still purchase 2nd generation Apple TV boxes at a discount.

Cheapest Way to Access Apple TV on Your Television

If you don’t want to run apps on your TV, you don’t need an Apple TV box. But you do need a compatible TV or device that connects to your television unless you’re willing to watch it on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Windows PC.

Amazon’s Fire TV Stick Lite is the cheapest way to access the Apple TV app on a television. Simply plug the stick into an HDMI port and use the included remote to enjoy your favorite Apple TV+ shows.

Amazon’s Fire TV Stick Lite usually sells for $29.99, but you can sometimes find it for $14.99. If you’re looking for the cheapest way to enjoy Apple TV and Apple TV+, this is it.

Remember, this doesn’t feature Apple’s tvOS App Store. You’ll need to purchase Apple’s box for the entire Apple TV experience with tvOS apps. But with a Fire TV Stick Lite or another similar device, you can use the Apple TV app, subscribe to Apple TV+, and watch shows and movies like Ted Lasso and CODA.

Three Apple TV Products

In conclusion, there are three Apple TV products: Apple TV (app), Apple TV (device), and Apple TV+ (subscription service). The app is free. You can purchase the device for $99 or less. Apple’s award-winning subscription service costs $6.99 per month, and you can stream it on any device that runs the Apple TV app.

We hope this article clears up any confusion with Apple TV. Apple could have done better naming these products. Once you understand the three meanings of Apple TV, it’s easy to figure out which works best for you.