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Smart devices are turning out to be a poor investment
(www.androidpolice.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Some smart devices.
The $20-30 cheap garbage is exactly what it is: cheap garbage.
Apple charges a premium for their streaming box, but guess what: the 4K AppleTV they released in 2017 is still going strong. I’ve had this thing for seven years, it shows no ads on the main screen, and still gets updates. And it’s still fast as hell.
Maybe the enshittification is just on all these Android streamers? I have a Chromecast with GoogleTV in my bedroom, and it’s fine. But it’s just about two years old and already sluggish (especially compared to the AppleTV), and every time I turn it on it takes longer than it should to update the Home Screen with trash I don’t care about.
I mean, I've had the same Roku attached to my TV for 6 years and still no issues with it; I don't anticipate any problems for some time.
Are you concerned about the forced arbitration they recently pushed on everyone? That caused me to drop them but I’m curious about your take.
For those that don't know, forced arbitration or they'll brick *the device you *paid for. Before you agreed to that.
Not who you responded to but I am absolutely concerned about it. I use my Roku currently, but when it dies or I upgrade, there's no chance I'll continue to support that company and their bullshit. And the enshittification of greedy companies continues...
Thanks for the elaboration. I was really dismayed because the Roku stick felt like the simple, safe option for so long compared to Amazon and Google. I’d pay extra for an Apple TV, but sometimes I actually like the stick format.
Totally, me too. ☹️ I think the issue is that, like smart TVs, these companies still have so, so much control over your device after you buy it, up to and including making it completely inoperable...
Yeah, it’s a double-edged sword to have things that can constantly update, for better or worse.
Not really. I've not been prompted to agree to anything, and these types of EULA terms are not enforcable where I live.
I got mine for free as a promotional item 7 years ago. It was bottom of the line at the time, and I’m still using it today. It works great.