It always surprises me that more people don’t know about AppleTV, although I imagine the misleading name may have something to do with it. Apple currently sells 2 products under the Apple TV name. One is a piece of hardware called AppleTV which you plug into an actual TV and watch the AppleTV streaming service. Simple right?

The AppleTV hardware has been around longer so I will cover this first. An AppleTV device is a small box that you plug into your TV with a standard HDMI cable and then connect to the internet via WiFi or ethernet. It comes with a remote to control it, but can also be controlled with your iPhone. Unsurprisingly, the deeper you are embedded into the Apple ecosystem the more functionality you will get from AppleTV. The basic functionality works like any other Apple device, there is a home screen with a bunch of apps and then the App Store where you can download streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, pretty much any major streaming service is available. It’s very similar to any other streaming device on the market such as a Roku, Firestick, or Chromecast.

Beyond this AppleTV packs a bunch of Apple-exclusive functionality and apps. For example, if you are someone like me who purchases movies through your iCloud account, you can access your collection of movies or TV shows through the Movies app that is preinstalled on AppleTV. Pretty much anything on your phone that is syncing with your iCloud account is accessible through AppleTV including photos, videos, music, and now even a fitness app that pulls in data from your Apple Watch. There’s also Apple Arcade and the streaming service that is called AppleTV, which can be bundled and paid for with your iCloud account. Stay tuned for a full review of Apple Arcade coming soon!

I am not a TV show critic or reviewer so I am not here to judge the quality of shows on the AppleTV streaming service. I am just here to say that it is basically what it sounds like, Apple’s answer to Netflix, Disney+, and all of the other streaming services, where you can watch AppleTV exclusive shows on your AppleTV. Paying for this streaming service is absolutely not required to use all of the other functionality on AppleTV, which is the biggest point I want to make about it. I have talked to a lot of people who believe it is required to pay to use AppleTV, which is not the case.

AppleTV can be a great tool for the office too (depending on the environment). AllReitz Group, for example, runs on all Apple hardware, so having an AppleTV hooked up in our conference room is a no-brainer. When no one is using the conference room we keep a weather app on display as a screensaver, but when we need to use the conference room, any device from our phones to our computers can be mirrored to AppleTV.  This is probably one of the features we use the most at the office.

While the basic functionality of AppleTV can be handled by most smart TVs, there’s something to be said for the Apple polish that comes with AppleTV, both with the hardware itself, as well as the user experience. The latest model of AppleTV streams in 4K and is available with 32GB or 64GB of storage for $179 and $199 respectively. If you’re interested in testing one out for yourself you can check it out at the link below.