Snippet: The Case for the Apple TV ☇

Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of “what’s the point of the Apple TV?” conversations online, as many feel the box is outdated, expensive, and unnecessary with AirPlay and Apple TV+ on most smart TVs and Rokus. John Gruber linked a report about smart TVs by Geoffrey Fowler:

I set up each smart TV as most people do: by tapping “OK” with the remote to each on-screen prompt. Then using software from Princeton University called the IoT Inspector, I watched how each model transmitted data. Lots went flying from streaming apps and their advertising partners. But even when I switched to a live broadcast signal, I could see each TV sending out reports as often as once per second.

Related, he also linked to a report by Mozilla about the default privacy settings on Roku boxes:

Roku is the nosey, gossipy neighbor of connected devices. They track just about everything! And then they share that data with way too many people. According to Roku’s privacy policy, they share your personal data with advertisers to show you targeted ads and create profiles about you over time and across different services and devices. Roku also gives advertisers detailed data about your interactions with advertisements, your demographic data, and audience segment. Roku shares viewing data with measurement providers who may target you with ads. Roku may share your personal information with third parties for their own marketing purposes. One of the researchers working on this guide said, “It had such a scary privacy policy, I didn’t even connect it to my TV.” Another researcher referred to Roku as a “privacy nightmare.”

And this is why I’m Team Apple TV™ even if it is outdated and expensive.