Hopefully we'll actually see basic things like native iplayer support or Amazon Prime for starters.
Sadly this is unlikely, and that is due to Amazon. Amazon are trying to push sales of their Fire TV Box and as soon as they began development on that, they stopped adding apps around the world to any competing device. (i.e. similar type of set-top-boxes).
Apple TV has always been rubbish compared to the rival boxes out there.
Always? Really. So, when the ATV2 with AirPlay was launched back in 2010, what were the vastly better alternatives? Roku? not available then in the UK, AFTV? Not invented back then... Granted, the ATV3 version has waited a long time for being updated and all the main competitors (AFTV and Roku basically) have superseded it in technology, but none had the amazing AirPlay. Even Chromecast today is not as useful as AirPlay because there are still more apps supporting AirPlay.
Apple make a lot of great products but the Apple TV is not one of them. It's fine if you're happy living within Apples own ecosystem but if you want to stream HD local content then it's a poor choice.
That whole "living in Apple's ecosystem" argument really doesn't fit here. The ATV3 worked perfectly well with other non-Apple services such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, Now TV, etc and almost all global streaming services via AirPlay.
Sure, they didn't work well with other PAYG services, but a) who uses that these days and b) neither does the competition. If you want to watch Amazon Instant Videos on anything but Amazon boxes, you can't. If you want to watch Google Play movies on anything but Android, you can't. So why is Apple so different here?
Has nothing over the NVidia Shield TV (Which includes games controller and has 4K HDMI 2.0) which retails at a similar price.
No doubt Apple fans will flock to buy it!
Sure does... apps. Already at launch date the ATV4 will have more app support than Android TV, and I bet you within 6months the number of supported streaming services on the Apple TV will be so far greater than the Nvidia Shield TV that there won't be anything to actually compare. Since Android TV launched in the UK, how many new streaming apps have been added? Zero... not one. Android TV services absolutely zero major UK streaming services and it is the same in almost every other country except the US. Even there it supports less than the ATV4 has before that is even launched.
That gives it something "over the NVidia Shield TV".
Sure, it doesn't have 4K which is a pity, but then again, very very very few people will notice this here since a) very few people have a 4K TV yet and b) no major streaming service supports 4K yet (Sorry, Netflix only supports 4K on Smart TV hubs and has very few titles and Prime won't appear on anything that competes with their AFTV).
Still... I think they should have put 4K in there.