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This is the most exciting talk from Apple for some time. Not ground breaking by any means but it’s nice to have a little excitement brought back, even if helpfully derived from Hollywood a listers.
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How many streaming services do these companies expect us to pay for every month?
So true. Guess they’re more hoping people will swap rather than pay multiple subscriptions
 
I used to get curious too, every year it seemed that some new, fresh and cool would happen. But that wore off a long time ago. I keep hoping, and they keep disappointing.
I think the truth about video is that it is a much richer and more difficult terrain than music ever was. And as soon as all the movie and TV moguls saw the success that Apple had within the music industry, they girded their loins against Apple’s encroachment into video, and have made the path much tougher. I remain curious to see what they have been able to piece together, given all the obstacles in their way.
 
u2_fly.jpg
 
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They should do streaming games to the iPad service.
That has definitely been part of the rumor mill. Including iOS games would definitely give them a competitive advantage over Netflix and Amazon.

(As far as Apple TV games, I do wish that Apple would make progress in this area. Some of their strict requirements for games have prevented it from becoming a viable and rich platform for developers. I wish they could figure out something with a controller that would help bring Apple TV gaming to the next level. But that’s a whole other can of worms.)
 
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focus on quality and convenience ...
What do you think?

I think there is not much to support your excitement.
Convenience? - how much more convenient can it be than launching Netflix app?
Quality? - like Siri or Apple maps? Siri is played as the foundation of their OS, still
after so many years it's a joke. What confidence does it give us about their brand new
service, so far only "proven" by Planet of the Apps?
 
Well, like I said, I’m really curious. Apple is obviously as secretive as they get, so any thoughts would be pure speculation. But overall my guess is that they don’t need to go head to head with a company that’s burning through capital like gangbusters in order to chase subscriptions. I’m guessing that their goals are more about keeping people in the ecosystem and gently encouraging new people to buy in, and that their strategy will be more centered around a constellation of well curated, high quality services in a variety of areas (video, music, print) that focus on quality and convenience rather than depth & breadth of content.

But who knows! What do you think?
I think it will be a me too service with movies and series without any nudity, violence or bad mouthing. If you have problems falling asleep, this is your chance.
 
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I cannot wait for this event. Insanely curious what Apple plans to unveil, and what they think will give them a competitive advantage.

Will it include a bundle of existing movies and TV shows?
Will it include an option for watching live, local programming?
What publications will be included in the news/magazine bundle? (If includes the Times, the Post, the WSJ and The New Yorker I’m in trouble).

I also think it’s a mistake for people to think that Apple is trying to compete directly with Netflix. Netflix spends $15 billion a year on programming and I’m unaware of whether they’ve shown they can consistently make a profit. I think Apple’s service will aim to accomplish something different, with a different strategy than Netflix employs.

Insanely curious...
What is interesting is that Netflix has an upcoming cash problem. They have been growing with their stock and once that growth stops — problems. Apple has a huge pile of money. Not saying Netflix will die at the hands of Apple, but I think the content war is far from over.
 
I am very curious about the pricing.

Many sources think it will be free, at least initially. I am guessing it will launch with 6-12 months of free service.

Moving forward, Apple might bundle it with Apple Music subscription. But Apple Music being a low margin business, it could be offered with discount as a to Apple Music subscription ($9.99 + $2.99?), free with Family membership ($14.99?), and standalone ($4.99?).
 
So excited! Can't wait to ditch cable. I'll be fine with my Apple TV sub, Hulu...Netflix...Amazon...Crap - this sucks.
In the end all these services add up to what cable costs anyway. While I welcome Apple to the field it’s becoming just a different pile of crap. All this does is enable cable companies to continue to hike internet costs to “cord cutters”.
 
If they make "netflix clone" with rich content (with subtitles in my native language) for a reasonable price (= $10–15) I will be happy.

But we all know it's not gonna happen. Apple is just trying everything to save their profits for next few years, because they seem to be scared of this whole "people are not upgrading their phones that often" thing.
 
I cannot wait for this event. Insanely curious what Apple plans to unveil, and what they think will give them a competitive advantage.

Will it include a bundle of existing movies and TV shows?
Will it include an option for watching live, local programming?
What publications will be included in the news/magazine bundle? (If includes the Times, the Post, the WSJ and The New Yorker I’m in trouble).

I also think it’s a mistake for people to think that Apple is trying to compete directly with Netflix. Netflix spends $15 billion a year on programming and I’m unaware of whether they’ve shown they can consistently make a profit. I think Apple’s service will aim to accomplish something different, with a different strategy than Netflix employs.

Insanely curious...
It’s going to be a snooze fest. Mark my words.
 
Streaming service could have millions of customers.
Streaming services could have millions of customers but not this one. It will come with too many restrictions and along with an über expensive ecotrap. Apple’s own content will be a snooze fest so they need to bundle to make it compelling and priced accordingly.
 
Streaming services could have millions of customers but not this one. It will come with too many restrictions and along with an über expensive ecotrap. Apple’s own content will be a snooze fest so they need to bundle to make it compelling and priced accordingly.

I guess we will just have to wait and see how it pans out.
 
It's as though Apple is living in some sort of a weird, time warp, echo chamber where they think what was trending ten years ago is hip now. eg. Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner. It reminds me of the free U2 album thing. They keep attaching themselves to has-beens.
 
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I think there is not much to support your excitement.
Convenience? - how much more convenient can it be than launching Netflix app?
Quality? - like Siri or Apple maps? Siri is played as the foundation of their OS, still
after so many years it's a joke. What confidence does it give us about their brand new
service, so far only "proven" by Planet of the Apps?
Wow, that’s a lot of negativity to unravel.

Apple has a history of making things more convenient. Plenty of reason to believe they’ll do it again.

Their News app is a good example. They weren’t the first, but it has become very popular largely by being relatively effortless and extremely well integrated. Much easier than opening half a dozen different news apps.

What’s easier than opening the Netflix app? Uh, how about opening the Apple TV app and being able to see the latest episode from dozens of different shows you are watching on dozens of different networks, all in one place? The fact the Netflix doesn’t play along makes them a pain in the arse. And means I don’t watch Netflix as much as I might because they make it harder for me than watching Prime, Hulu, TBS, etc.

Siri started strong. Then it **** the bed. Now it’s making a comeback. In a huge annual survey of digital assistants, that includes 800 queries, Siri went from a distant 4th place last year to 2nd in 2018, trailing only Google Assistant. Apple Maps has also made huge leaps and bounds, and in one study I read gives more accurate duration estimates at the start of a trip than Google Maps or Waze. And this year they are rolling out 100% new, home grown map data, built from the ground up. All while keeping user location data private. So underestimating Apple’s ability to comeback and regain lost ground seems like a bad bet to me.

And did you actually watch Planet of the Apps? I thought it was pretty compelling. It’s obviously a much more limited audience because of the subject matter, but it was well produced and interesting for anyone who cares about tech or the app economy. It certainly would be right at home alongside similar niche reality shows on Netflix.

You’re free to be as negative and pessimistic as you want. Just don’t pretend that your POV is based on the latest facts on the ground. For me, I’m remaining cautiously optimistic and looking forward to the March keynote.
 
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Watch less television, boycott it.
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That has definitely been part of the rumor mill. Including iOS games would definitely give them a competitive advantage over Netflix and Amazon.

(As far as Apple TV games, I do wish that Apple would make progress in this area. Some of their strict requirements for games have prevented it from becoming a viable and rich platform for developers. I wish they could figure out something with a controller that would help bring Apple TV gaming to the next level. But that’s a whole other can of worms.)

They also need to allow 32 bit games to play once more..
 
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What is interesting is that Netflix has an upcoming cash problem. They have been growing with their stock and once that growth stops — problems. Apple has a huge pile of money. Not saying Netflix will die at the hands of Apple, but I think the content war is far from over.
You make an interesting point. There are companies with far greater resources and much more substantial customer bases jumping in. Netflix has a few tricks up their sleeve, but I’m not sure any of them (releasing all shows at once, advanced analytics) aren’t things that other networks can’t copy. I think Disney, Apple, Amazon, and the existing studios will have a lot to say before this is over.

Honestly, the biggest advantage their brand has is “Netflix and chill”. Interesting to see how long that’s cool enough to have any impact.
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It’s going to be a snooze fest. Mark my words.
Marked.
 
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This service just sounds meh, too little too late and certainly isn’t going to ‘revolutionise’ a thing. They’ve been pricing people off Apple devices, so for its services idea to work it has to, as it is, put them on nine Apple devices, trouble is on those platforms it’s up against incredibly strong, and in some cases better, competition.
Sorry Apple, Netflix currently has it nailed and Amazon to an extent.

We’ll see what they do.
 
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