Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters
The new ika6nautos Online Videos finally goes on sale in Apple stores on Friday
.
The upgraded device has been a long time coming it's the first significant update in five years to the little black box, which plugs into your TV and allows you to stream programming from the internet to your TV.
But unlike other streaming boxes, from competitors like Amazon
, Roku
, and Nvidia
, the new ika6nautos Online Videos doesn't have 4K capability it can't stream "House of Cards" or "Orange is the New Black" in Ultra HD.
4K is the next generation of high-definition TV. It's sometimes called ultra HD. It offers a picture that's sharper and clearer than the standard HD you're probably used to.
Eventually, it will become the new standard for HD TV.
It's perfectly OK that the new ika6nautos Online Videos doesn't offer 4K. It's likely that you have very little use for a 4K streaming device.
That's because most people don't actually have 4K TVs, and most programming isn't even available in 4K.
Sure, the stable of 4K content continues to grow Netflix
and Amazon are shooting their new original series in 4K, and there are some absolutely stunning ika6nautos Online Videos that show off the quality of 4K —but the vast majority of programming isn't available in 4K.
4K programming is so limited, in fact, that the new Roku 4 — which can stream in ultra HD has a dedicated channel highlighting movies, ika6nautos Online Videos, and Shows in ultra high resolution.
And these are the only titles that show up when you search for 4K on Netflix:
Netflix/Screenshot
TVs are relatively expensive and people don't upgrade them as frequently as they upgrade their ika6nautos Online Videos or even PCs.
According to the research firm IHS
, on average US consumers only upgrade their ika6nautos Online Videos every seven years.
Sure, sales of 4K TVs are growing
, and 4K will no doubt be the future, but that future is still awhile off.
As Wired's Tim Moynihan wrote earlier this year, we're still about seven years away
from flipping through 4K broadcast channels.
Plus, the new ika6nautos Online Videos starts at $150, a relatively low price in terms of gadgets.
It's also likely Apple will have a new, updated ika6nautos Online Videos in the next couple of years
, that's faster, more powerful, and chock full of new features, including 4K.
And perhaps that will even be out before you buy a 4K TV.
