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Hollywood Producers Say 'Intrusive' Apple Executives and 'Lack of Clarity' Impeding Original Content Efforts
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Does anyone else remember when Apple just made great computers? Sometimes I miss Apple Computer.
Now I get it. All the products like AirPower are delayed as Cook is binge watching all those apple tv shows in production. 
They have to keep it PG because if they allow "adult content" on this platform they lose the legal argument for banning on the Apple Store. They would violate anti trust allowing for Apple to produce "pornographic material" but not the market place since they control distribution.
Not really, there is explicitly material on iTunes Music and that has zero impact on AppStore.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives are getting deeply involved with the behind-the-scenes production of the company's original television shows, which are set to debut later this year. Apple has been "difficult" to deal with on the project, according to unnamed agents and producers working with Apple on its foray into streaming TV (via The New York Post).
Cook and other executives have been described as "intrusive," with the biggest complaint involving numerous notes that Apple has been sending streaming partners as they watch each show and contribute their opinion. Other sources stated there has been a "lack of transparency" and "lack of clarity" on what Apple wants throughout the process.
One agent noted that Apple has been "very involved," explaining that writers and directors typically prefer to work without heavy oversight from higher-ups in corporate. This involvement has included a repeated note sent by Cook telling producers and showrunners, "don't be so mean!" It's unclear which shows this note has been sent to, and how many.
Cook has visited the sets of multiple shows, including the Vancouver set of See, a futuristic science fiction show, and the Los Angeles set of the morning show drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
In terms of the launch, Apple's nitpicking over content and technology has caused numerous delays, and content partners are said to be slightly irritated about these delays. Original rumors suggested the service would see a public launch by the spring of 2019, but now it's believed Apple won't launch its streaming TV service until summer or fall 2019, although an event on March 25 will see the public announcement of the service.
Amid all of this, one producer stated that Apple's overall goal isn't clear enough and that a lack of clarity has caused confusion among many entertainment partners.
We've seen similarly opposing reports over the past few months, with some suggesting that Apple was looking to avoid mature content on its TV shows and others claiming that the company was on the hunt for the next Breaking Bad. Apple might be okay with mature content, as long as it has substance and isn't gratuitous, but again today The New York Post's sources suggest that Apple's notes to showrunners include keeping content suitable for families.
At the same time, it's unclear which shows these notes were given to as Apple has well over a dozen TV shows in development, with vastly different genres among each. We'll know more about Apple's streaming TV service soon enough, as the company's rumored March 25 event is three weeks from today.
Article Link: Hollywood Producers Say 'Intrusive' Apple Executives and 'Lack of Clarity' Impeding Original Content Efforts
Thank you Tim Cook for caring about the content that gets streamed into our homes. I'm so tired of the unimaginative remakes that Hollywood keeps pumping out. And I'm glad to see someone begin to care about content from a family perspective. We don't need more shock content, we just need good content that you can watch in your home when the family is together.
What about explicit content that is currently available through the iTunes store?
In place of Tim writing notes saying ”Don’t be so mean,” shareholders should be sending emails to Apple’s BOD demanding Tim’s resignation. 
Yeah.... initially, I could see how it made sense for Apple to try to get on-board with producing its own content for Apple TV. I mean, if they wanted to be a serious competitor in the set-top box space, they needed to offer SOME reason for people to buy and use it, besides just "you can AirPlay to it from your iOS device or Mac". (That's cool and all, but you can do the same thing with a cheap ChromeCast and Chrome browser on any platform....)
But like so many of the recent Apple endeavors, I think Apple TV is half-baked anyway. I mean, they finally got a clue and made the current models with sufficient flash storage so you can download and install real apps -- but then they neutered it with that awful remote control! Roku, by contrast, had it right all along with a remote that's both easy to use and doubles as a decent game controller that senses motion as you tilt/pan it around.
And now, it sounds like Apple is trying to micro-manage the content creators, which is only going to result in frustration and a mediocre product. I guess I had more confidence in Apple to already know how this content creation stuff works, thanks to Pixar. (Jobs essentially left Pixar's people alone to create content, even though he had his own office space in their building.) But it sounds like instead, they're trying to handle their original TV show content like they're designing a new hardware product....
But like so many of the recent Apple endeavors, I think Apple TV is half-baked anyway. I mean, they finally got a clue and made the current models with sufficient flash storage so you can download and install real apps -- but then they neutered it with that awful remote control! Roku, by contrast, had it right all along with a remote that's both easy to use and doubles as a decent game controller that senses motion as you tilt/pan it around.
And now, it sounds like Apple is trying to micro-manage the content creators, which is only going to result in frustration and a mediocre product. I guess I had more confidence in Apple to already know how this content creation stuff works, thanks to Pixar. (Jobs essentially left Pixar's people alone to create content, even though he had his own office space in their building.) But it sounds like instead, they're trying to handle their original TV show content like they're designing a new hardware product....
Netflix sucks big time!!! Their digital service never seems to have the shows/movies I want to watch, but for an additional monthly fee they will send me the video on a DVD. No thanks...
Amazon also sucks because they want to rent or sell you most of their selections.
Apple will likely be the suckiest and most expensive.
This sounds like a vanity project for tech execs that imagine themselves as show biz celebrities.
This should be the post of the month. Lack of focus is exactly what will hurt Apple by means of death of a thousand cuts.
And for good reason. A genius that has taken Apple to new heights.
Ignore all the facts you want.
$266B in revenue, $60B in profit.
Close to what I've been thinking. Tim seems more concerned about what others are currently obsessed with rather than what he thinks they will be -- which is apparently how Steve Jobs thought. Steve saw a product that had interest but wasn't extremely popular and seemed to think, "What would make people be completely captivated by this?" For example, I remember when the Diamond Rio MP3 player ads grabbed my attention but I most certainly didn't know anyone who had one. A few years later, the iPod arrived, which was still a product not everyone could afford; however, its feature set and refined appearance made it much more attractive.
Put simply, Tim is not a visionary -- it's not his fault, he's just not one.
Worse, to compound things, Tim promotes others thinking they can play the visionary role but who in the past 7 years have only gone on to make Apple hardware and software which felt like was what THEY think people SHOULD use, whereas before, Apple seemed to constantly pump out hardware and software that people would WANT to use because it just seemed to JUST WORK so universally well across all “typical” users. That’s been a big shift. At least, that’s been my take.
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Apple will eventually become so diversified that they will lack the ability to distinguish themselves. Cook’s former boss had an opinion about focus: “ I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things we have done.”
In the 1990’s, Jobs returned to Apple and slashed their product portfolio—mostly custom configs of their Mac hardwares—from 300+ to approximately 10. It appears Apple is reversing course these days, following the likes of Sony and GE, who dabble in everything but fail to get recognition when they excel in something.
In the 1990’s, Jobs returned to Apple and slashed their product portfolio—mostly custom configs of their Mac hardwares—from 300+ to approximately 10. It appears Apple is reversing course these days, following the likes of Sony and GE, who dabble in everything but fail to get recognition when they excel in something.
Should’ve been much greater. Mac still has only a fraction of pc market. No essential services. Less focus on software. Idiot self driving car crap. This video garbage. Pulling strings equals no clue. Disaster with speakers, Apple TV, and anything Home. Apple maps. Siri. Education market abandoned. Business support and sales abandoned.
Steve only gave the guy perhaps the most valuable iconic product in history. iPhone.
Tim is still trying to explain why iPhone. Even in ads. He still doesn’t know IMO.