Make no mistake about it, the latest Apple TV 4K is one of our favorite streamers on the market. It’s best for folks within the Apple (AAPL) ecosystem, but boasts plenty of power and provides access to all the major streaming services. Making it even sweeter is that the entry-level model is $123.51 from $129.99 on Amazon (AMZN).
And now, via a pre-holiday update, it’s getting even smarter. tvOS 16.2 is now available alongside a slew of other updates to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS. And while there are bug fixes and speed improvements, it also includes “Recognize My Voice.”
It’s a pretty apt name, as Siri can now tell and detect who is speaking to provide personalized recommendations. So if I’m a comedy fan and I ask for a TV show to watch, it will likely be something I’ll enjoy based on how well it knows me. You can also rest easy knowing that you won’t mess up the viewing experience for other folks by adding content to a watch history that they didn’t in fact watch.
Recognize My Voice is available for up to six users on the Apple TV 4K and you can seamlessly switch back and forth between folks asking. In terms of those recommendations you can ask for music, tv shows, movies, and even to switch profiles. The latter is easier than digging through settings to swap between profiles as well.
Alongside this handy and more personalized experience, Apple Music is also getting a karaoke mode. And it’s truthfully a fun update that is available for all Apple Music subscribers. You can fire up a song and see the normal lyric view, which is already a pretty popular view for hosting folks or for playing music on the big screen. But you can now click the “Sing” icon--which looks like a microphone--to adjust the vocal volumes on the track.
Meaning if you want to belt out a Christmas classic or maybe some Olivia Rodrigo to get out some angst, you can lower the vocals of the singers to let your voice shine, while still hearing the backing track.
Chances are you’ll be seeing Apple Music Sing at some holiday gatherings this year and you may even fire it up on your Apple TV. Keep in mind that you will need the latest generation Apple TV 4K to use this. Apple Music is available as a one-month free trial for new customers or $10.99 a month. If you purchase select Apple devices as well, you can score up to six months of the service for free.
And if you’re looking for a last-minute holiday gift or maybe even a slightly more expensive stocking stuffer, the Apple TV 4K is an excellent option. It’s a simple way to get content on the big screen, but also gives you a seamless experience with all of Apple’s services. Including Fitness+ for working out or mindfulness, Apple Arcade for games, Apple Music, Photos, and Apple TV+ for streaming shows like Ted Lasso.
The Apple TV 4K third-generation comes in two flavors and for most folks, assuming you don’t need ethernet or Thread connectivity, the entry-level provides a good experience. It’s normally $129.99 for the Wi-Fi 64GB model, but it’s discounted on Amazon to $123.51 and is eligible for Prime shipping.
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.
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