Well, actually Apple wants you to buy-in to their vision of TV for the future. So many of us are cutting the cord or dropping satellite service to strictly go with streaming their content that it was inevitable that Apple would refine their TV offering. Apple TV already is my hub for content and has enabled me to subscribe to services like ShowTime and others right on my Apple TV. Others have begun to offer bundles of channels including some of the big cable companies, Netflix and Amazon.
There were rumors for so many years that Apple was going to actually manufacture a TV but that never happened, instead they took the long view and realized that Cable and Satellite might just be outdated technologies. So, at the Apple event a couple weeks ago, Apple revealed a bunch of new TV stuff.
Apple TV +
I think the most significant announcement was Apple TV + which will be Apple’s own streaming service coming this fall. Apple has spent a lot of money creating new content and has an impressive line-up of stars and producers creating this content. This includes Steven Spielberg bringing the premier Sci-fi pulp magazine to life with Amazing Stories, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Anniston in The Morning Show and Aquaman Jason Momoa in See. They have some kids shows with the Sesame Street team and Oprah Winfrey with a couple of documentaries. It is a strong line-up that will put Apple firmly on the TV map.
New Apple TV app
The new Apple TV app won’t be out until next month and from the looks of it during the demo, it sort of looks like the current Apple TV app. But what is there will be different. You will be able to choose just the premium channels you want. Over 100,000 movies to buy or rent. Popular streaming services. The biggest cable TV providers. And original shows and movies from Apple TV+.
The process of subscribing to channels like HBO or CBS or Starz will be easier and you can choose which ones you want ala carte. All your sign-ins and passwords will be managed by Apple TV. There is a special kid’s section which is nice and your subscriptions can be shared with up to six others with family share.
If you are still hooked up to cable or satellite you will be able to get your content streamed with some providers like Spectrum, PlayStation Due or Direct Now.
No Need for an Apple TV?
The Apple TV app will no longer be solely on the Apple TV hardware platform. In fact, Apple announced deals at CES in January to bring the Apple TV app to smart TVs made by LG, Vizio, Samsung and Sony. They even announced that it would be coming to Apple TV hardware rivals such as Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Apple will continue to offer the Apple TV HD, forth generation Apple TV and the Apple TV 4K as the higher end device. These devices will add some important features such as support for gaming which will become interesting when Apple releases Apple Arcade later in the year.
I think that Apple gets TV in a way that most of the rivals haven’t quiet realized. Access, ala carte subscribing, ease of use, original content are all features that should make this Apple TV initiative a success.