Steven Aquino, Forbes:
Until a few weeks ago, the Apple TV 4K had not seen an update since the device was introduced in September 2017. The software it runs, tvOS, obviously has been updated in the time since, but the additions have more iterative than transformative.
And:
As tvOS is build atop an iOS foundation, Apple has adroitly ported a plethora of familiar accessibility features from its mobile software to the living room. For a disabled person who is willing (and able) to pay the Apple TV’s premium price, the investment pays off in spades if one of the reasons for choosing the high-end streamer is gaining access to its best-of-breed assistive technologies.
As far as price is concerned, Google TV wins hands down, with Chromecast priced at $50 and the new Apple TV 4K starting at $179.
Back to Steven:
While it is true tvOS is highly accessible—particularly for reducing cognitive load thanks to its strong family resemblance to iOS—the icon-driven interface still can be problematic. The issue is finding what to watch. For the most part, users have to jump from app to app to app to find content; this can be troublesome if you have a cognitive delay of some sort and can’t easily remember that The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is on Prime Video or that Dickinson is an Apple TV+ property. Apple’s TV app tries to consolidate everything into one place—there’s a reason the TV app is positioned on the “top shelf” by default—but it’s nonetheless still an app. Netflix, for example, infamously refuses to support the TV app; to watch it, you must find the bespoke app.
There’s the rub. If the goal of all the players (Netflix, Amazon, Apple, HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock, etc.) was to maximize the user experience, every app would operate the same way and would share all info with Apple so there could be one app to rule them all.
Apple has done the best they can here, but if Netflix doesn’t support the TV app, not much Apple can do.
Google TV takes the inverse approach. There are still apps that you can launch, but they’re secondary. Again, Google’s premise is it is better to suggest content to you as opposed to forcing you to seek it out. Granted, the Google TV UI is busier and not as polished as tvOS, but a legitimate argument can be made that it is more accessible. To wit, instead of trying to remember where a show is, Google does it for you. To continue watching something on Netflix is just a few clicks away on the For You screen.
Read on. Great piece from Steven (IMO, he’s the bright shining light at Forbes), exploring accessibility on both platforms, but usability as well, pros and cons on both sides.