It’s said (and proven time and again) that Apple is a company that isn’t the first to innovate with a gadget or technology, but it often does those gadgets and tech better than its competition (and often at a steeper price). And with the new Apple TV service, the company is attempting to venture into the world of streaming services by taking what Netflix has innovated and doing it…better. At least, that’s what the company wants you to believe.
Combining streaming services like Hulu, CBS All Access, and Amazon (but no Netflix), the iTunes film library, cable/satellite channels, and Apple’s own original content (now revealed as Apple TV+), the new TV service is attempting to take down Netflix by being an aggregator, with some original content as flavoring. Oh, and you know that Netflix app that everyone has gotten used to? Well, Apple’s newly designed TV app looks very, very similar, with a couple of caveats that many won’t even notice. You know, the same but…better.
The real star of the TV streaming announcement wasn’t the app, however. It was the new slate of original content that the service officially unveiled. Sadly, it’s basically the news we already knew. Steven Spielberg is doing “Amazing Stories,” which he revealed is inspired by the fact that his father read him the publication as his bed-time stories (explains a lot, huh?). Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard are doing a sci-fi/post-apocalyptic series called “See.” Kumail Nanjiani has his own anthology series titled “Little America.” J.J. Abrams is working with singer Sara Bareilles on something. And yes, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell are working on a show called “The Morning Show,” that features the behind-the-scenes drama of a, you guessed it, TV morning show.
I guess the only real surprise is that there really wasn’t a big surprise, and there was less information than you were probably expecting. Cost? Unclear. Launch date? “Fall.” What shows will be premiering at launch, and which will be further down the line? No clue. Apple just talked about the original content as ideas, and not as finished products.
All we know for certain is that Apple is coming for Netflix, and it’s utilizing the same strategy that has been applied to Google, Microsoft, and other companies before – Apple is going to do what Netflix does but better.
Apple has officially joined The Streaming Wars. Your turn Netflix.
You can watch a very serious video about art and storytelling, featuring everyone mentioned above and more, below: