CUPERTINO, California: Apple yesterday revealed that its streaming TV service will kick off on November 1 and cost $4.99 a month, as the tech giant reaches a turning point where it focuses as much on services as its hardware and software.
Apple TV+ will be available in over 100 countries and buyers of an iPhone, iPad or Mac will get a free year of streaming television service, the company announced.
Apple revealed that its new iPhone 11 will come with two back cameras, including an ultra wide-angle lens and the next generation of microchips, the A13, but few big apparent changes. Prices start at $699.
The Apple 11 Pro will have three cameras on the back.
Apple is in a “holding pattern” until it rolls out 5G phones with faster mobile data speeds next year, analysts said. Instead, services like the television content featuring the likes of Oprah Winfrey that will compete with Netflix and Walt Disney could take centre stage.
While the iPhone still makes up more than half of Apple’s sales, yesterday’s event may nudge it off centre stage after a decade in the limelight.
Apple long boasted about its competitive advantage over rivals such as Samsung, which makes handsets, or Alphabet’s Google, which provides the Android operating system for most of the world’s phones. Apple touted controlling both the hardware and software, resulting in polished products that commanded premium prices and captured most of the smart phone industry’s profits.
At the fall event in the Steve Jobs Theatre in Cupertino, California – typically Apple’s splashiest and dedicated to its flagship devices – Apple is cementing a third element to its focus: hardware, software and services.
The new strategy comes as iPhone sales have declined year-over-year for the past two fiscal quarters and investors are fixed on the growth potential for services.
Apple also announced its video game service, Apple Arcade, will be a tab in the App Store and available starting September 19 and cost $4.99 a month, with a one-month free trial.
With streaming content, Apple is entering a crowded field. Since Apple’s initial television event in March, rivals like Walt Disney have since announced a $6.99 per month service that will contain that firm’s iconic children’s content.
Apple also unveiled updates to the Apple Watch and iPad.
The Apple Watch Series 5 will have an always-on display, an 18-hour battery life and international emergency calling in over 150 countries. Prices start at $399 or $499 with cellular service and was available to order yesterday and in stores on September 20.
The Series 3 Apple Watch will start at $199.
Apple said the seventh generation of the iPad will start at $329 and was available to order yesterday and in stores on September 30.