Apple's $300 Apple TV 4K is absurdly expensive, and I'm still buying one

I don't remember the last time that I watched TV at home without it going through a streaming box. It might have been in the days of CRTs, because I used a computer monitor with a Fire TV plugged into it for years before upgrading to a large flat-screen. Since then, I've used a variety of streaming boxes and have a stack of Roku devices, Chromecast streaming sticks, and random Android boxes in a box. They're gathering dust because I upgraded every screen to an Apple TV 4K instead.

The no-name Android boxes were unreliable. The Fire TVs only want to push Amazon's content onto my home screen, while the Roku streamers want to show me ads. Chromecast devices are too compromised; they're outdated, and most TVs and projectors have Cast built in now. One of my Apple TV boxes is starting to show its age, but I'm only entertaining upgrading to the new version, regardless of the cost.

It's the ecosystem

I'm no longer only using an Android phone

I've got a varied mix of devices in the house, but the ones I've used the longest are all from Apple. They really do know how to keep customers, whether it's the ease of setting up a new device or keeping the user experience consistent across the range. That's every aspect, from how apps display to the UI, to devices that all feel fast and smooth.

Sure, I recognize that's a lock-in method to the ecosystem, but I really don't care. The ease of use and the known quantity of picking up the next device can't be overstated, and that's a big part of why I'm replacing my oldest Apple TV with the 4th gen model.

It's not even a performance thing at this point, because the chip inside any recent Apple TV box is fast enough. I would like a little more performance in games, and that next-generation jump from the device I'm replacing should deliver it. My family is used to the Apple TV UI now, and switching to another device would add mental load. More for me: as the designated tech support person, any changes to the established order mean I have to set it up the first time, and then keep supporting it until it becomes familiar for them. I'd rather pay upfront than pay every day.

Plus, Apple is the only company that I (mostly) trust with my viewing habits

I don't want Google, Roku, or Amazon (or any of the tech giants, really) to have any more of my information. I realized that's almost impossible in today's always-connected world, but I can limit it where possible. Apple has my information from my iPhone, and the company lets me limit third-party app tracking, which I use on every device I own from them.

I don't want Paramount, Disney, or whoever to get my viewing history from any of the other streaming apps, and that's what normally happens. To be clear, I know Apple is still using my data for its own advertising, but at least they're not selling it to everyone else willing to pay.

I'm always losing my remote

Integrated Find My for the Siri Remote is clutch

The Siri Remote is slim, metal, and forever falling between my couch cushions. That's if my kiddo hasn't wandered off with it, I've put it on a different shelf, or it's gone missing in any of the other ways it does. Find My is fantastic on every other Apple device, and I've always wondered why it wasn't on the remote.

Now it is, and my days of hunting for the remote are over. Well, maybe not over, but I can use my iPhone to find it instead of searching everywhere. I can make it play sound and use Precision Finding instead. Fantastic, and I bet I can use Siri to make it play the sound, so I don't have to lift a finger.

It'll help run my smart home

Having Thread border routers is useful

While I use Home Assistant for most of my smart home, I don't have a Thread border router set up on the mini PC running HAOS. I don't need to because, with multiple Apple TV 4K boxes and HomePod minis, I already have four border routers. And that's without adding HomeKit devices to the mix, which can be annoying to set up and integrate into a mixed device environment without an Apple device there to ease linking.

Other streaming boxes are also expensive

The market is what it is

Anything with RAM or SSDs inside is considerably more expensive than it was even a year ago, including older devices still being manufactured. Devices like the Nvidia Shield TV Pro are now $300, up $100 from its old price. But nothing in that box has been upgraded since 2019, and the processor is showing its age now.

Walmart is having trouble keeping the Onn Google TV 4K Pro in stock, and who knows what will happen to that box as they shift production to branded TVs after buying Vizio. Even the Fire TV Cube is $200 now, and I can't recommend picking that up unless all you watch is Prime Video.

Apple has won my loyalty (at least for streaming devices)

The Apple TV 4Ks that I own aren't perfect, but neither is the competition. They have enough processing power, help run my smart home, handle HDR correctly, and stay on so I can use them as Tailscale subnet routers. My only complaint is the Siri Remote, because the buttons get stuck fairly easily. With AppleCare, that isn't a problem, since I can get replacements when they break.