Universal Electronics Offers Alternative Apple TV Remote to Cable Companies

by

Universal Electronics has announced its own take on Apple's divisive Apple TV Remote that's "specifically developers and designed" for cable, satellite, and MVPD (multichannel video program distributor) customers, according to the company (via The Verge).

uei apple tv 4k remote
The UEI Remote uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity together with Infrared to provide universal control, and offers ‌Apple TV‌ users content search and control via Siri and a program guide button for live TV viewing functions, along with separate volume and channel rockers and traditional media playback buttons.

In addition to featuring Apple's MFi authentication chip for secure connectivity with ‌Apple TV‌, the remote also packs an accelerometer and ambient light sensor to automatically backlight the keys in low light environments when the remote is picked up or moved.

"We're excited that customers worldwide will soon be able to enjoy this new remote, designed specifically for the growing number of MVPDs offering ‌Apple TV‌ 4K to their subscribers," said Paul Arling, CEO, Universal Electronics Inc. “This remote offers convenient features to quickly access the EPG or channel surf live programming available through the MVPD's app on ‌Apple TV‌ 4K."

Third-party alternatives to Apple's deeply unpopular ‌Apple TV‌ Remote aren't new. Last year we saw Swiss telco Salt launch an alternative remote control for the ‌Apple TV‌ 4K set-top boxes that it includes in its domestic broadband TV bundle. Then, in July, Function101 launched a $30 variant for U.S. the consumer market (there's no ‌Siri‌ button included on that one though).

UEI's remote won't be available for consumers to buy when it launches early next year. Instead, it's being offered directly to cable companies that include an ‌Apple TV‌ 4K as part of a streaming video package.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 14
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater

Top Rated Comments

Karllake Avatar
Karllake
25 weeks ago

original remote is fine. people complaining are simply afraid of change. touch pad is far better than tapping directional buttons many times.

only thing Apple needs to do is to remove animations that block the remote input. i find it extremely idiotic i have to wait for the slow dumb fade-to-home animation or the multitasking animation to finish before my remote is usable.
100% disagree, the number of accidental movements using the touch pad is unreal, it moves up and down when you’re trying to move left to right and often over or under shoots when scrolling in any direction, it’s not the great user experience everyone expects from apple, you may not have this problem but that doesn’t mean you can extrapolate and theory that everyone else is just “afraid of change”
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NikoBeaR Avatar
NikoBeaR
25 weeks ago

original remote is fine. people complaining are simply afraid of change. touch pad is far better than tapping directional buttons many times.

only thing Apple needs to do is to remove animations that block the remote input. i find it extremely idiotic i have to wait for the slow dumb fade-to-home animation or the multitasking animation to finish before my remote is usable.
I love most Apple products as they bring me joy in my life. The AppleTV 4K remote is horrendous. Top 10 worst designs from Apple.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
miniyou64 Avatar
miniyou64
25 weeks ago
I was such a hardcore defender of the Apple TV remote. It’s garbage. Impossible to select things accurately. Bloop, bloop...bloop, bloop, bloop and you’re 3 lines down from where you want to be.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iapplelove Avatar
iapplelove
25 weeks ago

I love most Apple products as they bring me joy in my life. The AppleTV 4K remote is horrendous. Top 10 worst designs from Apple.
we have a few Apple TV’s here, same 4k. And no matter how many times I pick up the remote it’s always upside down.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NikoBeaR Avatar
NikoBeaR
25 weeks ago

100% disagree, the number of accidental movements using the touch pad is unreal, it moves up and down when you’re trying to move left to right and often over or under shoots when scrolling in any direction, it’s not the great user experience everyone expects from apple, you may not have this problem but that doesn’t mean you can extrapolate and theory that everyone else is just “afraid of change”
This guy nailed it. The AppleTV 4K REMOTE s a pile of pig crap. All design no function.

EDIT: Sorry I meant REMOTE is a POS; I am in love with my AppleTV 4K otherwise.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
George Dawes Avatar
George Dawes
25 weeks ago
I actually preferred the old silver one . Keep it simple
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Top Stories

prosser macbook air colors stacked

Images Reveal Colorful New MacBook Air Design

Tuesday May 11, 2021 5:06 am PDT by
Apple's next MacBook Air will feature a completely new design and come in a range of colors like the 24-inch iMac, according to leaker Jon Prosser, who has now released supposedly accurate renders of the new machines based on leaked images. In a new video uploaded to YouTube channel Front Page Tech, Prosser elaborated on his previous prediction that Apple's next-generation MacBook Air models ...
Read Full Article • 126 comments
m1 ipad pro chip

M1 iPad Pro Over 50% Faster Than Previous Generation in Early Benchmarks

Tuesday May 11, 2021 11:56 am PDT by
Last month, Apple introduced a new iPad Pro with the same M1 chip found in the latest Macs, and early benchmark results indicate that the M1 iPad Pro is over 50% faster than the previous-generation iPad Pro. Based on five legitimate Geekbench 5 results (here's the fifth) for the fifth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro with the M1 chip, the device has average single-core and multi-core scores of...
Read Full Article • 375 comments
iPhone 13 Camera Backs

iPhone 13 Models Will Be Slightly Thicker and Will Have Larger Camera Bumps

Monday May 10, 2021 10:41 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 models will be slightly thicker than the iPhone 12 models and will also feature larger, thicker camera bumps with lenses that protrude less, according to iPhone 13 schematics seen by MacRumors. The new iPhone 13 and 13 Pro models are expected to feature a thickness of 7.57mm, up from 7.4mm in the iPhone 12 models. That's an increase of 0.17mm, which won't be hugely ...
Read Full Article • 216 comments
apple park drone june 2018 2

Apple Fires Newly Hired Ex-Facebook Product Manager Following Revelations of Past Misogynistic Comments

Thursday May 13, 2021 12:10 am PDT by
Apple has fired Antonio García Martínez, an ex-Facebook product manager and author of the controversial book "Chaos Monkeys," following public and internal calls for removal and investigation due to past misogynistic statements, The Verge reports. Apple hired Martínez earlier this week to join its ads team, however, comments that Martínez made in the past sparked condemnation from users...
Read Full Article • 271 comments
imac m1 blue isolated 16x9 500k

M1 iMac is Up to 56% Faster Than Prior-Generation High-End 21.5-Inch iMac

Wednesday May 12, 2021 10:03 am PDT by
Apple's M1 iMacs are set to start delivering to customers next week, and ahead of the official launch day, benchmarks for the machines have been showing up on Geekbench, likely from reviewers who are testing them. It will come as no surprise that M1 iMac benchmarks are right on par with benchmarks for the M1 MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini, coming in with an average single-core score...
Read Full Article • 252 comments
iPad Pro Feature

Early M1 iPad Pro Orders Now Preparing to Ship

Tuesday May 11, 2021 9:41 am PDT by
Apple will soon ship out 11 and 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro models, according to multiple Twitter users and MacRumors readers who have seen their orders shift to "Preparing to Ship" status. So far, we haven't seen any shipment notifications, but that's the next step and is likely to happen in the near future. Apple has not provided an exact delivery date to those who ordered a new M1 iPad Pro, but ...
Read Full Article • 184 comments
fortnite apple logo 2

Judge in Epic vs. Apple Case Floats Potential Compromise

Wednesday May 12, 2021 3:54 pm PDT by
In the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, the two companies are this week calling up their expert witnesses to argue their points before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will make a decision in the case after a three week trial. Expert testimony is not as exciting as some of the leaked App Store documents that were highlighted last week, especially as much of what's being...
Read Full Article • 239 comments
AirTag in Envelope Feature 2

AirTag Used to Successfully Track a Mailed Package Across the UK

Wednesday May 12, 2021 8:44 am PDT by
An Apple customer in the United Kingdom has successfully used Apple's Find My network to track an AirTag as it was being sent by mail to a friend in a completely different city. Outlined in a blog post at Intego, Kirk McElhearn said he taped an AirTag to a piece of card, wrapped it inside a small bubble envelope, and then sent it on its way. Kirk lives in the small town of...
Read Full Article • 147 comments
maxresdefault

Video: Make Your iPhone Last Longer With These Battery Preserving Tips

Monday May 10, 2021 1:23 pm PDT by
Maximizing battery life is something that many iPhone users deal with on a regular basis as we all want our iPhones to last as long as possible. Sometimes there are bugs in iOS that make the battery drain faster, and sometimes we just need to eke out as much as possible on a long day out and about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. In our latest YouTube video, MacRumo...
Read Full Article • 77 comments
macos big sur ios 14 iphone 12 pro macbook air icloud drive desktop documents hero

Apple Merging 'iCloud Documents and Data' Service With iCloud Drive in May 2022

Tuesday May 11, 2021 2:36 am PDT by
Apple plans to merge its iCloud Documents and Data service with iCloud Drive starting in May of 2022, according to a support document published late last week (via MacGeneration). iCloud Drive and iCloud Documents and Data share the fundamental ability to backup data from apps. However, iCloud Documents and Data was often a cumbersome, confusing experience. In contrast, iCloud Drive is more...
Read Full Article • 95 comments