The Apple TV 4K seems crazy expensive at $179, and on the surface it doesn't offer much more than its cheaper competitors However, I noticed a few months ago that I am using the Apple TV 4K more often now that I no longer use my Roku Ultra

Don't get me wrong, I love my Roku Ultra I bought it for my parents for Christmas last year But once I freed the HDMI cable from the rat's nest of cords in the back of the TV and put that cord into the Apple TV 4K, I never saw it again Both are on my list of best streaming devices

The change in my habits was made possible by the fact that, as the streaming device editor for Tom's Guide and during the quarantine period, I basically gathered all the major streaming devices behind the TV so I could test and compare them

But my decision to start using the Apple TV 4K more is less about how most of these devices do much the same thing and more about some standout ways that can nudge you to use one over the other Let's take a closer look:

Harley Quinn's animated shows are great, and the HDMI plug was the reason I left my Roku Ultra in the first place

I don't know how many people, except those who subscribe to the DC Universe service (where this show started), get to see Miss Quinn's droll animations Harley teams up with Poison Ivy to join the Legion of Doom while ruffling Batman's feathers; HBO Max is also the exclusive home of the "West Wing" reunion, the "Witches" remake, and will release "Justice League Snyder Cut" in 2021

But if your only streaming device is a Roku, you can't do that That's because Harley Quinn is currently available on HBO Max, and HBO Max launched without the Roku app (or the Fire TV one) and isn't there yet And the rest of HBO's Roku app doesn't support logging in with a cable subscription, so I couldn't use it even if I wanted to

When I turn on my streaming device and want to watch something other than HBO Max, the Apple TV wins again because I own an iPhone; just swipe down from the upper-right corner of the iPhone's lock screen to reveal the Remote button, and the Apple TV (and and my TV) turns on, the Remote app appears and I can find the apps I need, etc

I try to keep my iPhone away from me when I'm watching good TV (and live-tweeting bad TV like WWE Monday Night Raw, obviously), but not always When it's time to make lunch and I wander into the living room or kitchen, it's much easier to pull my phone out of my pocket than to look for the remote control

Also, I'm not the kind of person who can watch videos at work, so I'm constantly thinking about watching YouTube during lunch (that's multitasking a bit too much) So that pattern became the norm, and the Apple TV continued to be my mainstream streaming device

Yes, I could turn on the Roku from the Roku app, but Apple doesn't give me the ability to customize the Control Center screen where the Apple TV buttons are I really wish they would, though

Integration is not limited to the iPhone; the Apple TV app brings Apple TV Plus to other devices, but not Apple Arcade games to non-Apple TV devices In addition, the upcoming Apple Fitness Plus service will also be exclusive to Apple hardware in the Fitness app This will include integration with the Apple Watch, which will send an individual's activity (heart rate, calories burned, etc) during a workout to the TV screen

If I wasn't reviewing streaming devices for a living, I probably wouldn't have made this leap; the Apple TV 4K is priced at $179, $80 more than the Roku Ultra, and is a good deal cheaper than the Roku Streaming Stick Plus and new Chromecast with Google TV, $129 more than popular 4K streaming devices like the

However, I will probably continue to use my Apple TV 4K because it has access to all of the above (although I am looking forward to getting one of the new Chromecasts to try out) I'll probably keep the Apple TV 4K because it has everything I want (with the exception of the Japanese wrestling streaming service, which is only compatible with Fire TV and Chromecast) and it's the easiest to use no matter what

But if Apple really wants to get serious about TV, it will need to do more than make great shows like Ted Lasso's (another article): Apple needs a more affordable streaming device Because until then, Apple TV is only for those with deep pockets