Apple held an event on September 9 to announce new products. I was unable to watch the event live because I had to work a full day in my school district; however, I watched the recorded event that night via my Apple TV. I must say I couldn’t watch the entire thing without some fast forwarding. It was approximately 2.5 hours long, which is a bit too long for my schedule as a hard-working Dad.

As I viewed the Apple event, I noted announcements for Apple Watch, iPad Pro, Apple TV, and iPhone. Although I was very interested in knowing about the latest news regarding all of the products, my interest in purchasing all of them was not as high. Within the last year, I got an iPhone 6 on a two-year contract and an Apple Watch. So, I wasn’t looking to replace either device. Additionally, within the last year and a half, I got a MacBook Pro with extra upgrades. Therefore, I wasn’t looking to replace it with an iPad Pro, nor would I use it in addition to my iPad Air. But, what about the Apple TV, you ask.

I currently have the 2nd generation Apple TV set-top box, which I purchased at least 4 years ago. Since then, I’ve enjoyed the idea of watching great TV shows and movies after purchasing them a la carte, but finding them has been much less enjoyable. My Apple TV has a clunky remote for navigating the user interface – as long as the remote is pointed directly at the Apple TV – that is definitely not up to modern Apple standards. The result is a user experience that leaves a great deal to be desired. So, I was extremely eager to hear about the next Apple TV.

The next Apple TV thankfully comes with a new and improved remote that includes a touchpad and Siri integration; plus, you don’t have to point it directly at the Apple TV. The touchpad allows you to touch and swipe to navigate, and Siri allows you to use your voice to search content. The remote’s features combined with a new operating system (tvOS) enable a search across iTunes, Hulu, Netflix, HBO, and Showtime, making it easier to find the TV shows and movies you want.

The new Apple TV is not just about TV shows, though. Apple is opening up Apple TV to 3rd party developers who wish to create Apple TV apps for sale via the App Store. And the apps are not only meant to be TV shows. At the event, Apple had companies demonstrate Apple TV apps for gaming and shopping. Apple also mentioned that apps could be universal for running on Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad. So, there will be a variety of possible Apple TV apps for developers to create. I’m looking forward to exploring the possibilities of tvOS.

Apple TV will be available in October with a 32 GB model for $149 and a 64 GB model for $199. I cannot wait. I believe Apple is taking a step in the right direction for the future of TV.