134: ‘Field Sobriety Test’ With Guy English

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The discussion centers on first impressions of the new Apple TV, especially setup, navigation, Siri, video scrubbing, and games. Both speakers praise Apple’s design and engineering, while noting major gaps like the lack of multi-user support and uncertainty around game controllers. They see the platform as Apple’s most exciting new consumer hardware since the iPhone, with strong potential for third-party apps and future iteration.

Main Topics: Apple TV setup and first-run experience (Priority: 5/5): The speakers describe how easy it is to set up the new Apple TV using an iPhone, including Wi‑Fi, Apple ID, and initial login. They contrast this with the pain of manual input and praise the convenience and elegance of the onboarding flow. Remote, focus engine, and UI design (Priority: 5/5): A major theme is the redesigned Siri Remote and the new focus-based UI. The speakers admire the trackpad interaction, subtle haptics-like feedback, and how the interface works without a visible pointer. Siri and universal search (Priority: 4/5): They discuss Siri’s speed and usefulness for search, weather, and sports scores. The consensus is that Siri on Apple TV feels faster and more practical than on iPhone, though habits still need to change. Video playback and scrubbing (Priority: 5/5): The new fast-forward/rewind experience is highlighted as one of the best parts of the device, with accurate thumbnail scrubbing and smoother navigation than prior Apple TV models and many competitors. Gaming potential and limitations (Priority: 5/5): They evaluate launch games like Canabalt, Beat Sports, Manticore, and others, noting that many translate surprisingly well to the remote. But they also raise concerns about controller support, pricing, and whether Apple will attract deeper game experiences. App Store ecosystem and third-party apps (Priority: 4/5): The conversation touches on early third-party apps such as Net Newswire, Storehouse, and PCalc. They view the App Store as the key long-term unlock that could produce unexpected and original uses, just as iPhone apps did. Hardware choices, pricing, and future roadmap (Priority: 3/5): They debate the 32GB vs. 64GB models, the absence of 4K, and whether Apple TV will refresh yearly or every two years. The speakers think Apple may be underpricing future potential and expect rapid hardware improvement.

Key Arguments: Apple’s device setup is unusually frictionless because iPhone-based pairing can transfer Wi‑Fi, Apple ID, and other settings automatically. The focus engine is a major UI breakthrough because it tracks what the user sees on-screen, not just the code hierarchy. Siri on Apple TV is fast enough to change behavior, especially for quick queries like sports scores and weather. The new video scrubbing implementation is dramatically better than older Apple TV models and even better than TiVo for many use cases. Apple TV’s success will depend heavily on whether developers can build compelling games and apps that exploit the remote, touch surface, and accelerometer. Multi-user support is a glaring omission because Apple TV is inherently a shared household device. Apple’s prioritization of free content in universal search is praised as user-friendly and more trustworthy than forcing iTunes first. The platform’s value is not just as a media box but as a new general-purpose TV computer with room for novel app categories.

Data Points: Recording date: Friday, October 30 - The speakers establish the timeline for when they first got the Apple TV units and when the show was recorded. Apple TV dev kit price: $1 - They discuss Apple selling the developer kit for a token dollar and debate why Apple chose that price. App Store timing: Yesterday / around noon - They say the Apple TV App Store went live the day before the recording, likely around midday. Developer kit NDA: An additional NDA was included - The speakers mention that the dev kit came with a new non-disclosure agreement beyond the standard developer terms. Video scrub timing: 6:00 Eastern - They infer the review embargo lifted at 6 p.m. Eastern, based on when reviews suddenly appeared. Price of Apple TV model: $149 - They reference the new Apple TV as the $149 model when comparing features and possible margins. Storage tiers: 32GB and 64GB - They debate the two available storage sizes and whether the difference is worth it. App size limit: 200 MB initial download - They mention the app binary limit before on-demand resources are allowed. On-demand resources: Up to 2 GB - They explain that apps can use additional downloadable resources beyond the base binary. Daniel Tosh charity bet: $25,000 - A long tangent mentions Tosh betting $25,000 on a football game for charity. MailRoute donation: 1% of profits - The sponsor segment says MailRoute contributes 1% of profits to the Nature Conservancy. Harrys donation: 1% of sales and 1% of time - The Harry’s sponsor segment says they contribute to Movember during November. Harrys customer milestone: 1 million customers - The sponsor ad notes Harry’s has crossed a million customer mark. PCalc price: $1.99 - They mention James Thompson’s Apple TV calculator app and discuss its price.

Pivotal Quotes: "It is such a better experience than any other first run experience I've ever seen." — Guy: On the Apple TV setup flow using an iPhone to transfer network and account settings. "I think they've done an amazing job with this little device." — Guy: Summing up overall praise for the Apple TV hardware and software. "the best fast forward in video for anything I've ever connected to my TV" — Guy: Describing the new scrub/seek experience in Apple TV playback.

Implications: The new Apple TV looks poised to become a major platform, not just a set-top box. Its success depends on app depth, game support, and future hardware iterations, but the design and UX already raise expectations for what TV computing can be.