Apple is normally pretty secretive about its new products. Whether it’s a phone, computer, or anything else bearing the signature logo, the tech company likes to surprise its customers with something unexpected each and every year. And for its first foray into streaming TV, it looks like Apple has done it again, albeit there’s still no word on how customers will react to the latest service. After learning details of the new streaming outing, it appears that Apple is banking on its customers loving free content.
According to CNBC, the upcoming TV streaming service is set to launch in the first part of 2019. And over the course of the next calendar year, Apple will have spent over $1 billion on original content for the streaming service. However, unlike anything else with the Apple name, the TV app is going to be largely free for existing customers.
Just weeks ago, we discussed why industry insiders are concerned with Apple’s apparent censoring and adjusting of TV projects to make sure they are more “family friendly.” Now, we know why. The TV app will be pre-loaded on each Apple device, with all of the tech company’s original content free to stream for those customers. Why would Apple give away its content for free? Well, first and foremost, the TV service will feature pay services that customers can subscribe to within the app. That means, in addition to all your free content, if you’re interested in adding HBO to that lineup, then for an extra fee, you can do that.
As for the massive population of those that don’t have Apple devices (we assure you they exist, and are in large, large numbers), that’s unknown at this time. Unlike services like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and others, Apple’s TV app will most likely stay in their own app ecosystem, as they’ve done with almost every other Apple service in history. However, there’s still the outside chance that Apple opens up that content for a wider audience, albeit at a price.
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So, the roughly two-dozen shows that the tech company has in development right now are definitely going to be less shocking and adult than what’s being offered elsewhere, but now we know why. The real question is whether or not customers will care about shows that have been sanitized for mass audiences when they’re already inundated with too much content from a variety of other sources that is already known to be incredible. We shall see.