why would I buy [Apple TV] with the remote, subscriptions, dongles, etc. when I could buy an HDMI cable and use my laptop's "apps" instead?
Constantly plugging/unplugging your laptop is annoying. Especially if there are other people in the household watching TV or using the laptop.
Apple TV has no mandatory subscription beyond what you already have (Netflix, Hulu, etc).
The remote is easy to use (4 buttons, a touchpad, and a "mouse button"). With HDMI-CEC, you don't have to worry about TV or AV modes - they switch themselves on and to the correct settings every time. And it's over Bluetooth, so no holding the Harmony at just the right angle to get everything switched.
There is no dongle - just a power cord and an HDMI cord. Same as you have with your laptop or other device.
The Siri remote is just like the trackpad on your laptop. It's not a "new" interface - it's just new to the TV.
Constantly plugging/unplugging your laptop is annoying. Especially if there are other people in the household watching TV or using the laptop.
Apple TV has no mandatory subscription beyond what you already have (Netflix, Hulu, etc).
The remote is easy to use (4 buttons, a touchpad, and a "mouse button"). With HDMI-CEC, you don't have to worry about TV or AV modes - they switch themselves on and to the correct settings every time. And it's over Bluetooth, so no holding the Harmony at just the right angle to get everything switched.
There is no dongle - just a power cord and an HDMI cord. Same as you have with your laptop or other device.
The Siri remote is just like the trackpad on your laptop. It's not a "new" interface - it's just new to the TV.