Tacx Training 4+

It is now over 4 years since I got my first Tacx trainer. It has been life changing for me. There have been quite a few snags along the way as the software has progressed especially for Mac users. I stress that I have not used the iPhone or iPad app much but I have used the MacBook software frequently throughout these 4 years.
I upgraded to a Tacx Neo trainer 2 years ago and it is terrific.
Tacx have really come out of a tunnel with the latest subscription software for the MacBook available as a free download.
It all works very reliably. You download films in high quality (up to 1080p) and cycle away in the safety of your own home. You can see the route profile as you go. Together with changing incline data and film of the road ahead you can easily decide how much of the hill lies ahead. That is unlike when outside the crest of a hill seems to be always somewhere round the next corner.
I can’t praise this Tacx Neo trainer and supporting software too highly. Don’t be put off by adverse reviews for the app for iPhone or iPad. In my opinion the Desktop app is in a completely different catalogue.
Final suggestion is to use an HDMI cable from your Mac to a TV to get an enhanced view.

I’ve got a subscription and the range of films available is excellent. Have had no problems connecting my trainer or making use of AirPlay to display on my big TV. There are a few things I’d like to see in future updates to earn that fifth star...
My phone and iPad each have over 60Gb of free space, please allow me to download films to prevent some of the stuttering. My internet is fast but there’s still occasional screen freezing.
Give us an easy way to take screenshots of the beautiful scenery to share on social media.
There are other riders on course but their presence is limited to a little circle at the bottom of the screen... how about a graphic showing how far ahead/behind they are in metres for better competition?
Overall I am happy with the new app and hope that it continues to be developed

Why on earth does anyone pay for this rubbish? The only useful part are the workouts, which are themselves not brilliant - the one I’ve just done took me straight into 70% FTP for the warmup, then kept it at that power until the first interval, for example.
However, when paired with a Neo the effect is disastrous. Dropping a gear during an interval results in the trainer increasing the resistance massively, leaving the rider at 30rpm with no chance of lifting the cadence again. This can be a problem with Zwift in Erg mode, too (especially on “hilly” routes), but it’s worse with the Tacx software itself, and on Zwift it’s possible to quickly turn Erg off if it happens.
I’m using the bundled one-month trial of premium - the free version does nothing you can’t do with a GPS on trainer mode - and if Tacx think there’s the slightest chance of part with money for it they’re very much mistaken.