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Apple TV+ needs more than just A-list talent
Apple's "It's Showtime" event revealed the technology industry's worst-kept secret: The company was building its own TV service. The back half of the event was designed to show off the litany of A-listers the company had signed up. Steven Spielberg, Oprah, Jennifer Anniston, J.J. Abrams, Reese Witherspoon and Big Bird all turned up. And yet, it was all so underwhelming.
Apple News+ has issues, but it's a great deal for casual readers
Yesterday, Apple unveiled Apple News+, an all-you-can-eat subscription service that offers access to over 300 different magazines and periodicals, including newspapers like the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times, for $9.99 a month. I already subscribe to a couple of other Apple services like iCloud and Apple Music that are a little bit underwhelming, so I'll admit I'm a bit wary of getting another one. But for a magazine lover like myself, News+ sounded incredibly intriguing.
All the important stuff from Apple's services event (+)
Apple just wrapped up its services event, giving us nearly two hours of news -- well, more like an hour-plus of news and 45 minutes of details on its forthcoming original programming. Still, there's a ton to unpack, even though the vast majority of Apple's announcements won't be useful for you, dear reader, until later this year. We'll run all the major details down here, as well as when you can give these new subscription services and apps a shot.
iOS 12.2 is out now with Apple News+ support
To enable the fleet of software and service updates Apple is announcing today, the company is readying iOS 12.2 for your iPads and iPhones. It's not a huge, feature-packed update, but there's a decent amount to unpack here. The main event is access to the new Apple News+ subscription service, which you can get a free trial of now. The existing, free Apple News app is also available in Canada for the first time with this update. Beyond News, if you have a pair of Apple's second-generation AirPods on the way, they'll work with your device now.
'Beneath a Steel Sky' finally has a sequel and it's coming to Apple Arcade
One of the most iconic cyberpunk games of the '90s and early-2000s, a point-and-click adventure called Beneath a Steel Sky, is finally getting a follow-up. Beyond a Steel Sky will hit Apple Arcade later this year, coming directly from original creators Charles Cecil and Dave Gibbons. Gibbons is a legendary graphic-novel artist best known for collaborating with Alan Moore on Watchmen, while Cecil is a co-founder of Broken Sword and Beneath a Steel Sky studio, Revolution Software.
Apple TV+ subscribers can expect ad-free original shows and movies this fall
On stage at today's "show time" event, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced Apple TV+, an ad-free subscription home for the company's new push into original content. With the Apple TV app now extending onto other smart TV platforms while collecting shows and movies from other outlets into Channels, it's giving people even more of a reason to stick with Apple by adding exclusives you can't get anywhere else. According to senior VP Eddy Cue, "Apple TV+ will be home to some of the highest quality original storytelling that TV and movie lovers have seen yet." We've heard a lot about its content buying spree over the last year or so, but on stage, execs kicked things off with a video featuring big names like Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Octavia Spencer. Spielberg himself appeared on stage first to talk about Apple TV+ and the stories he wants to tell. Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston showed up to talk about their new project The Morning Show, along with co-star Steve Carell, before Alfre Woodard and Jason Momoa hit the stage to talk about See, a new sci-fi series coming to the service. Kumail Nanjiani was up next, discussing his experiences as an immigrant that will be a part of the series he's writing with his wife for Apple, Little America.
Apple's redesigned TV app is coming to smart TVs and Macs
Apple has redesigned its TV app to make it easy to watch its new Channels, which includes video content from CBS All Access, Cinemax, Comedy Central Now, Epix, HBO, Showtime and Starz, among others. With the overhauled tvOS application, you won't have to use the standalone apps from these networks or streaming services, as you'll have access to everything they have to offer directly from the Apple TV app. Thanks to features like "Up Next" and "For You," Apple says its machine learning is smart enough to know what users should have in their queue, whether that be an episode of a series they're already watching or a new movie they might like.
Apple TV Channels is an a la carte way to watch your favorite networks
With Apple TV Channels, the company has created a way for you to pick and choose your favorite networks and watch everything within its TV app. The selection includes traditional channels like CBS and Comedy Central, premium networks like HBO and Showtime, as well as online streaming services like Brit Box and Acorn TV. On top of giving you a single spot to watch all of this content, you'll also be able to download shows and movies to your devices to watch online. So what about all that original content we've been hearing about? That'll be in Apple TV+, a separate service that Apple announced today.
Apple Arcade is a game subscription service for iOS, Mac and Apple TV
As part of its big push into subscription services today, Apple announced Apple Arcade. From the sound of things, it's going to be a "Netflix for games" that lets users pay a monthly rate to play as many different participating games as they want. And from the sound of things, it'll work on the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. For starters, more than 100 new and exclusive games will be included. It'll live inside the App Store as its own dedicated tab, rather than launching as its own app.
Apple Pay for public transit coming to the US later this year
Apple announced today that Apple Pay will be coming to mass transit systems in major US cities later this year. Portland, Chicago and New York City will be the first to support the payment service, which will allow passengers to quickly pay fares with their iPhone.
Apple News+ includes 'LA Times' and 'Wall Street Journal' subscriptions
At its streaming service event in Cupertino on Monday, Apple announced that in addition to more than 300 magazine titles (including TechCrunch's ExtraCrunch) on its newly revealed News+ app, the company will also include subscriptions to the LA Times and Wall Street Journal. What's more, users will get access to the entire digital newsstand for $9.99 a year. Given that users would have to shell out more than $8,000 annually to acquire these magazines individually, that's a pretty good deal.
Apple is launching a credit card
The rumors were true -- Apple is releasing its own credit card. Apple Card promises to make the most of the company's privacy, simplicity and (of course) integration with your iPhone. You can sign up for the Goldman Sachs-backed card directly from your device (it'll be useful right away), and it'll appear in an updated version of the Wallet app that can show your latest bills, transactions and spending history. Naturally, you can use Messages to ask for customer service.
Apple News+ is an all-you-can-eat magazine subscription
Though much of the hype around Apple's March 2019 event centers around streaming video, the company took the opportunity to introduce yet another service: magazine subscriptions. Called Apple News+, it'll be embedded into the Apple News app itself. Some of the periodicals already on board include Esquire, Wired, and newspapers like the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times. Apple News+ will have over 300 magazines in total, and all will be available via a single subscription for $9.99 a month. Family Sharing is included in that price. In a demonstration on stage, Apple showed off the service. Subscribers will see "live" animated/moving covers similar to live wallpapers. There's a My Magazines selection up top on the magazine home page, along with suggested issues. Recent issues of your favorite periodicals are automatically downloaded. According to Apple, there's also a human-curated "First Look" section plus a part for personalized story recommendations. There are three columns of thumbnails, each showing a different magazine. It's worth remembering that Apple's iOS had a separate magazine app before called Newsstand (Remember the Newsstand-only publication called The Daily?). However, you had to subscribe to each magazine or periodical separately. The genesis of this service may have come from Apple's purchase of Texture, a magazine subscription service, late last year. Seeing as Texture already had connections with a whole host of publications from Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith and News Corp, it could prove to be a pretty wise purchase. Yet, not all is rosy. Other outlets like the New York Times and Washington Post are still not there. This could be due to Apple asking for a 50 percent cut, and that it wants unlimited access. Additionally, publishers usually want direct access to customers, and not have to go through a middle-man like Apple. Still, the sheer ubiquity of Apple's News app on every phone and iPad could be enough to sway publisher's minds. Apple News+ is available today, with a free first month. It's launching in the US and Canada in English and French. There'll be 30 Canadian magazines plus the Canadian newspaper, The Star. It'll arrive in Europe and Australia later this fall, starting with the UK.
Live from Apple's streaming service event!
Today something rare is happening: an Apple keynote with possibly zero hardware news. The company recently sent out invitations for a March 25th press event with the words "It's show time" and an animated countdown clock -- the sort of old-timey touch you simply don't see in theaters anymore. That's as clear as a confirmation as any that Apple is about to unveil is long-awaited video streaming service. Other than the company's various original content deals, ranging from movies to TV shows, we've heard surprisingly few details about how the service will work, what it will cost or what it will include. Given that Apple already announced some minor iPad and iMac updates last week, we expect the company will use most of its allotted time to do a deep dive on the service itself, with very few, if any, asides related to hardware. In any case, all will be revealed soon. Join us today at 10am PT/1pm ET and follow along with our liveblog straight from the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino.
