Redakcja Choose TV
Apple TV users appreciate this device for one reason: consistency. Whether you're watching a film on a niche platform or a blockbuster hit, everything worked according to the same rules, with the same interface and gesture support. However, the latest Netflix update, reported by FlatpanelsHD and HDTVTest, disrupts this order. The streaming giant has taken a bold step – it has abandoned the Apple system player in favour of its own proprietary solution. This change raises a fundamental question: is the pursuit of an identical appearance for the app on every device more important than harnessing the full potential of premium hardware?
Between convenience and unification: What has really changed?
From Netflix's perspective, this move seems logical - maintaining dozens of different versions of the app for each operating system is a huge engineering challenge. By introducing its own player, the company can implement new features globally more quickly, without waiting for updates from Apple. However, for those holding the distinctive remote with the apple logo, this "logic" comes at a cost. The most noticeable change is the navigation method. The famous thumb gesture around the remote's ring, which allowed for instant and extremely precise scene skipping, simply no longer works in the new player. Instead, we now have a more classic, jumpy system that we know from other brands' Smart TVs.
It's not just a matter of habit, but a whole philosophy of the ecosystem. The native Apple player was a vessel connected to the entire system. The new Netflix interface cuts across these paths.
Where is the line of compromise?
Although the internet has erupted, and there have been numerous critical voices on Reddit regarding the stability of the connection and the quality of 4K in the new version, it is worth looking at this change from a broader perspective. Netflix is not the first – Disney+ is also forging its own path. The biggest challenge for Netflix now will be proving that their own solutions can match those that Apple has accustomed us to. For now, users feel a certain dissatisfaction because what they received seems to be a step towards simplification rather than development.
For many, Apple TV is more than just a device for Netflix – it's a multimedia hub that was meant to be "transparent" and intuitive. If the next services start isolating themselves in their own players, buying such equipment (and let’s not kid ourselves, it’s quite expensive) may lose its purpose. Is this a reason to cancel the service? For most, probably not, because the quality of content is more important here. For those who value every millisecond of responsiveness, it's a clear signal that Apple devices do not provide full reliability in this respect, and the best part is that it's not Apple's fault.
Source: hdtvtest, flatpanelshd, reddit
