Apple is expected to launch a slew of new products at its Cupertino headquarters in California on Monday, including a Netflix competitor, a revamped news service and a subscription-based gaming offering.
Taking Netflix, Amazon Prime and hordes of video streaming giants head on, Apple on Monday launched the much-awaited Apple TV+ that will stream highest-quality original TV shows, movies and documentaries across genre.
The on-demand subscription service will come in over 100 countries this fall with a brand new programming from the world’s celebrated artists including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Octavia Spencer, J.J. Abrams, Jason Momoa, M. Night Shyamalan, Jon M. Chu and more.
Available on the Apple TV app, subscribers will enjoy inspiring and authentic stories with compelling characters from all walks of life, ad-free.
“We’re thrilled to give viewers a sneak peek of Apple TV+ and cannot wait for them to tune in starting this fall. Apple TV+ will be home to some of the highest quality original storytelling that TV and movie lovers have seen yet,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.
The company also unveiled the all-new Apple TV app and Apple TV channels coming in May.
The Apple TV app brings together shows, movies, sports news and more in one app across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, smart TVs and streaming devices.
“Users can subscribe to and watch new Apple TV channels — paying for only services they want, like HBO, SHOWTIME and Starz — all on demand, available on and offline,” said the company.
The customers can subscribe to Apple TV channels and watch them in the Apple TV app, with no additional apps, accounts or passwords required.
The Apple TV app will be available on Samsung smart TVs beginning this spring and on Amazon Fire TV, LG, Roku, Sony and VIZIO platforms in the future.
The event, to be hosted at the Steve Jobs theatre on campus, will herald a new era for the iPhone maker as it enters the fast-growing global content streaming market.
“Apple has been looping a video from the theatre, teasing its focus on television,” reports The Verge.
The livestreaming video is stylised to look like a television set, and has been switching between a handful of different angles of the Steve Jobs theatre.
Apple has invested over $1 billion into making new content and the streaming service is set to compete with the giants including Amazon, Netflix and Hulu.
“The company is building a new content store focused on offering bundles with cable services like HBO, Showtime and Starz. Put more simply, Apple may be looking to disrupt cable TV by essentially becoming a cable TV provider,” adds the report.
Apple has been working on developing original content like “Amazing Stories” by Steven Spielberg; crime show “Are You Sleeping?” produced by Reese Witherspoon and starring Octavia Spencer; “Calls” which is an adaptation of a French short-form series; “Central Park” which is an animated musical comedy from Loren Bouchard and “Defending Jacob” — a thriller adapted from William Landay’s novel, starring Chris Evans, among others.
According to TechCrunch, another Apple project is “Shantaram” — a series based on the novel by Gregory David Robert, about a man who escapes from an Australian prison and ends up in Bombay (now Mumbai).
There is also an untitled M. Night Shyamalan series and untitled Oprah Winfrey projects, among others.
Taking Netflix, Amazon Prime and hordes of video streaming giants head on, Apple on Monday announced the much-awaited Apple TV+ that will stream highest-quality original TV shows, movies and documentaries across genre.
The on-demand subscription service will come in over 100 countries this fall with a brand new programming from the world’s celebrated artists including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Octavia Spencer, J.J. Abrams, Jason Momoa, M. Night Shyamalan, Jon M. Chu and more.
Available on the Apple TV app, subscribers will enjoy inspiring and authentic stories with compelling characters from all walks of life, ad-free.
“We’re thrilled to give viewers a sneak peek of Apple TV+ and cannot wait for them to tune in starting this fall. Apple TV+ will be home to some of the highest quality original storytelling that TV and movie lovers have seen yet,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.
At the packed Steve Jobs Theatre on its campus here, the company also unveiled the all-new Apple TV app and Apple TV channels, coming in May.
The Apple TV app will be available on Samsung smart TVs beginning this spring and on Amazon Fire TV, LG, Roku, Sony and VIZIO platforms in the future.
Apple also announced its first-ever game subscription service called Apple Arcade that will feature over 100 new and exclusive games, including original releases from renowned creators like Hironobu Sakaguchi, Ken Wong and Will Wright.
Apple Arcade will launch in fall 2019 in more than 150 countries from a new tab on the App Store across iOS, macOS and tvOS, the company announced.
“We are working with some of the most innovative game developers in the world to create over 100 new and exclusive games to play across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing.
“Apple Arcade games will be great for families, respect user privacy and will not have ads or require any additional purchases,” he added.
The App Store currently has nearly 300,000 free and paid games.
With the simplicity of a single subscription, Apple Arcade will bring games to the App Store’s more than 1 billion gaming customers.
The company also introduced an all-new service called Apple News+ where users can read latest issues of 300 magazines in categories like entertainment, politics, lifestyle, health and travel etc.
Newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal and Canada’s The Star will also arrive on Apple News+.
Apple News+ will be available for $9.99 per month across Apple devices, starting with the US and Canada and the first month’s subscription will be free.
“The idea is to harness the power of journalism and its cultural impact. It is a great opportunity for publishers,” Apple CEO Tim Cook told the audience.
“Apple won’t allow advertisers to track you so it is private and secure,” he added.
The company also announced Apple Card designed for iPhones.
The users can sign up for Apple Card and start using it via Wallet. Goldman Sach is the issuing authority for Apple Card that will be acceptable all over the world.
“Goldman Sach will not sell your data to third parties,” said the company.