Apple held an event this March 25th 2019 to announce several services, including a long awaited TV and movie service. Unfortunately most of them are not ready, don’t look interesting, and leave you thinking “What?”.
Apple TV+
I’ll start with the TV and movie service called Apple TV+ Plus. This service has been something people have been waiting eagerly for years for Apple to announce! Apple has had a device / app called Apple TV for over a decade, but it has often been refereed to as a “hobby” project – by Steve Jobs himself. But ever since it was reported in a Biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson , that he said “I finally cracked it”; people have been waiting and theorizing what he could have meant.
Of course, since Apple revolutionized music with the iPod, people were thinking (hoping) they could do the same for TV and movies. Would they just update the Apple TV box or would they make a television set with the service built in? Then nothing. Sure there have been some updates to the Apple TV box / app, but nothing special. Then more time passed – and nothing. Every once in a while there would be a new rumor that Apple was taking to the major TV networks. But nothing.
Then came the announcement of this event and the idea of Apple’s revolutionary TV and movies was back on the radar.
– BUT IT’S NOTHING.
It’s not revolutionary, it’s not interesting, in fact its boring. The announcement event was boring. All they did was bring up celebrities they were going to work with who gave vague generic speeches.
The Apple TV+ Plus is nothing more – and maybe not as much- as Hulu, Sling TV, or any of dozens of other TV services. It’s essentially the same as the service is now – one place for you to search and watch content.
No mention of live TV.
A different service called Channels will also roll out in May – and just seems to be an easier way to log into different major network apps like CBS, Showtime, and HBO. Since it is tied to your Apple TV / Apple ID, you can sign into one thing and it signs you into all the apps.
SUPER DISAPPOINTING APPLE!
Apple News+
The only service that is even available now is an update to the News app called Apple News+. This is essentially the app Texture, that Apple bought last year. This service is a web site, news paper, and magazine subscription service. It costs $9.99 a month and gives you access to about 300 different publications currently.
Update: It was such a dud, that I lost interest and stopped writing. I had the post in draft since the event and just published it as is………
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