What You Need To Know About Apple TV+

Is Apple TV+ The Next Big Thing?

One of the big announcements that came with the iPhone 11 series was the reveal of Apple TV+. This video streaming subscription will give you access to a growing library of movies, shows, and other content. Many questions came with this announcement as well. How much will this cost? What devices can I stream on? How is this any different or better than Netflix, Hulu, HBO, or Prime Video?

Supported Devices

Apple TV+ is currently supported on most iOS devices including iPhone, Macbook, iPad, iPod Touch, and Apple TV. These are all pretty standard options for Apple, as they tend to be pretty exclusive with their products such as lightning chargers and the Mac operating systems. The Apple TV+ will be a little different though. The app will be available through several other devices including Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Fire Stick, as well as certain models of Samsung televisions. There are also some LG and Vizio TVs that are AirPlay enabled right out of the box. The one catch with this is that an Apple device must be supported by the newest iOS operating systems, meaning that some older devices will not be able to play Apple TV+. 

What is The Cost?

The listed cost for Apple TV+ is $4.99 per month, after a 7-day free trial. This is not very expensive, but you could potentially get it for free as well. Currently Apple is running a promotion where if you purchase any new or refurbished piece of Apple hardware, you get a year of free Apple TV+. This is great timing with the release of the new iPhone 11 series. Many people have already upgraded to the new iPhone, so they already have a free subscription. This free year of subscription also includes the family sharing plan for up to 5 users. The service is also free if you have a Apple Music Student Plan Subscription, although the student plan does not not include the family sharing access. These are listed as limited time offers so get yours now before they are gone.

Why Is Apple Doing This?

There are several reasons that Apple has for getting involved with streaming services. For starters, streaming services are profitable for many other companies, so Apple wants to get a piece of the pie. Second, Apple already has a loyal fan base and plenty of people who already pay for different services that they offer. These include Apple Music, iTunes, Podcasts and App Store to name a few. By including it as free with some of these other subscriptions, they can increase the appeal of the services as well as the perceived value. In addition, getting exposure to a new service is crucial to the success of it. This is getting them exposure, which gets people talking. You are probably much more likely to subscribe if your friends are telling you how much they are enjoying the shows on it. 

It is too early to tell how successful this service will be, but Apple has a good track record with most of their other launches. They are also running a large number of advertisements to help promote the new service. The commercials that you have seen for the new movie "See" with Jason Momoa: you can only watch it on Apple TV+. So get your free trial soon and see what you think of the service.