apple TV – Retail News CRM

Apple TV+ is free for everyone to view on these two days
While we didn’t expect Apple to make this announcement until next weekend, the tech giant announced today that Apple TV+ will be free for everyone to stream on Saturday, January 4th, and Sunday, January 5th. On X (formerly Twitter), Apple wrote, “This weekend, see for yourself. Stream for free Jan 4-5.” On the tweet Apple embedded clips from shows such as Presumed Innocent starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a prosecutor who becomes a suspect in a murder.

Other Apple TV+ content included in the tweet include Wolfs starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. The action-comedy film about a pair of “fixers” had a limited theatrical run last September and now can be viewed on Apple TV+. The long awaited second season of Severance is also teased. Starring Adam Scott, Britt Lower, and Patricia Arquette, the psychological thriller is about a procedure that allows employees of a mystery company to separate their work and personal lives.

You might want to take advantage of the two free days of streaming to watch some of the platform’s more well-known titles include Ted Lasso (starring Jason Sudeikis), The Morning Show (with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon), and Shrinking (starring Jason Segal, Harrison Ford, and Wendie Malick. This is a comedy about a recently widowed therapist who tells clients exactly what he thinks in a bid to help them.

Just this past Saturday, we told you that Apple had been dropping hints about the upcoming two days of free Apple TV+ by releasing promos with the “See for yourself” tagline. This is the first time that Apple is opening up the Apple TV+ app for a full weekend of free streaming. At the same time, Apple is promoting the seven-day free trial it is offering new Apple TV+ subscribers as well as the longer trials given as a reward to those purchasing certain new Apple devices.

A one month subscription to Apple TV+ costs $9.99 after the aforementioned one week free trial. The subscription can be shared with as many as five family members. Apple is hoping that the two free days of Apple TV+ gets non-subscribers hooked on some of the platform’s content leading them to subscribe to the service.
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December 31, 2024
The Apple TV app gets a complete visual revamp
Apple TV users rejoice as the app has just received a complete visual revamp to make navigating easier. The new app looks different on all iOS devices, so you’ll benefit from all the changes no matter where you prefer to watch your favorite series and films.

The most obvious change is the new, simplified interface that features a sidebar to make it easier for users to navigate the app quickly. The new sidebar provides access to Apple TV+ (home of Apple Original series and films), MLS Season Pass (home of Major League Soccer), Store (where users can buy and rent popular movies), and shortcuts to channels and apps viewers already have, including Disney+, Paramount+, and Max.

In addition to all the shortcuts, the new sidebar introduces the app’s new hub simply called Home, which is basically a unified guide for all the shows, movies, and sport.

The new hub features a Channels & Apps section, allowing users to browse their subscribed channels or connected apps. Also, sections like New Shows & Movies, Top Charts, Trending, and For You are also available within Home.

For those owning living room devices, the sidebar features profiles to make it easier to switch between users to better personalization in Up Next and content recommendations across the app.

Furthermore, the Store tab in the Apple TV app now combines movies and TV shows into one place so that users can easily access everything they wish to buy or rent. The same tab is also home to a new Add Channels & Apps shelf where users can explore popular streaming services

Finally, Apple announced that starting today, the iTunes Store app on iPhone and iPad, as well as the iTunes Movies and iTunes TV Shows app on Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD, will redirect users to the Apple TV app.
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December 12, 2023
Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and Apple TV+ get more expensive
In an unsurprising move, Apple confirmed this week that it has increased the prices of three of its subscription-based services: Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and Apple TV+.

Apple didn’t really offer any reason for the price hikes, but it’s probably related to global inflation. Not to mention that just about every streaming service in the United States announced price increases in the last couple of months.

We are focused on delivering the best experiences possible for our customers by consistently adding high-quality entertainment, content, and innovative features to our services.

That being said, if you’re living in the United States, here is how much you’ll have to pay for either of the three services mentioned above:
- Apple TV+: $9.99 per month (was $6.99)
- Apple Arcade: $6.99 per month (was $4.99)
- Apple News+: $12.99 per month (was $9.99)
It’s also worth mentioning that customers who’d rather subscribe to Apple TV+ on an annual basis will now have to pay $99 per year instead of just $69.

Customers who are paying for all three services via the Apple One bundle are not excluded from the price increases. All Apple One bundles are now more expensive as you can see below:
- Individual: $19.95 per month (was $16.95)
- Family: $25.95 per month (was $22.95)
- Premier: $37.95 per month (was $32.95)
If you’re living in Europe, MacGeneration has all the new prices for Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and Apple TV+. The price changes should take effect immediately for new customers, while current subscribers will have 30 more days to decide whether or not they wish to continue to pay for any of Apple’s services.
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October 27, 2023
Foreign video-on-demand service providers must register in Vietnam
Video-on-demand service providers, like Netflix or Apple TV, will need to seek licenses from the Vietnamese government to operate in the country, a new decree says.

They will need to fill out a form for the Ministry of Information and Communications just like their local counterparts, said the decree, which will enter effect Jan. 1 next year.

The decree also relaxes the content allowed on video-on-demand services by allowing the provider to categorize and edit movies, sports and entertainment content. In previous regulations all video-on-demand had to be edited by a licensed news agency before publishing. News content, however, must be edited by a licensed news agency.

Video-on-demand services have become popular in Vietnam in recent years thanks to a surge in smartphone usage and internet access.

The worldwide streamer of movies and TV shows Netflix has been including more Vietnamese movies and series onto its platform, seeking to attract the young local audience.
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October 4, 2022
With iPhone 14 coming soon, Apple changes the focus of its television advertising
Apple’s Services unit is the company’s second-largest business segment after iPhone. With nearly $20 billion in revenue during the fiscal third quarter, the unit is running at close to an $80 billion annual rate. One of the less-heralded but brilliant moves made during the Tim Cook era was to take advantage of the large number of active iPhones around the world and sell their users recurring monthly subscriptions that bring in revenue 12 times a year.

Apple Services includes Apple Music, Apple News+, Apple TV+, Fitness+, iCloud, and Apple Arcade. Those services charge monthly subscription rates. Other Apple services that are part of the unit include the App Store, Apple Pay, Apple Care+, and more.

With the unveiling of the new iPhone 14 line approximately four weeks away, Apple has apparently decided that now isn’t the time to advertise the iPhone 13 series with the world waiting for the 2022 handsets to be introduced. In other words, Apple wouldn’t be getting the same bang for the advertising buck with many potential buyers waiting for the new line to be announced.

So today Apple released its latest television ad, a thirty-second spot for Apple One. In 2020, Apple created the Apple One bundle which has three separate tiers of service. These are the Individual Plan, the Family Plan, and the Premier Plan.

Individual Plan-$14.95 per month (saves $6/month)
- Apple Music
- Apple TV+
- Apple Arcade
- 50GB of iCloud storage
Family Plan-$19.95 per month (saves $8/month; can be shared with five other people)
- Apple Music
- Apple TV+
- Apple Arcade
- 200GB of iCloud storage
Premier Plan-$29.95 per month (saves $25/month, can be shared with five other people)
- Apple Music
- Apple TV+
- Apple Arcade
- 2TB of iCloud storage
- News+
- Fitness+
The new ad shows off the services inside the bundle. Apple Music is mentioned first and the music streamer includes surround sound. The 3D Spatial Audio feature allows you to hear music that sounds like it is coming from all around you. Next is Fitness+, which is only part of the most expensive Premier plan although it can be subscribed to a la carte ($7.99/month, $79.99/year). Fitness+ offers workout videos that cover 11 different styles. While you are working out, the screen will show your heart rate along with other metrics related to your workout.

Like Apple Music, TV+ is available on all three tiers of Apple One. The new ad points out that with TV+ you can see the biggest stars just as the screen quickly shows Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show) and Tom Hanks (various films). News+ is also found only on the highest-priced Premier tier of Apple One and includes the best publications on Earth, according to Apple.

Apple Arcade is also available on all three tiers of the Apple One bundle and features over 200 ad-free games. Also on all three tiers is cloud storage service iCloud. Apple says that with iCloud, you can store everything that you love. Note, however, that the amount of available storage depends on the plan you purchase. The individual plan comes with 50GB of cloud storage, rising to 200GB with the Family Plan. And with Premier, you get a whopping 2TB of cloud storage.

If you’re already subscribed to some of Apple’s recurring subscription services, you might be able to save some money by signing up for Apple One instead. With the Premier tier, you can save as much as $25 per month by going with the bundle. You can start with a one-month trial of Apple One. From your iPhone, tap on Settings and then your name. Go to subscriptions and tap on the Apple One box. That will take you to the sign-in page and at the bottom of the screen you will see a blue button that says “Start Free Trial.”
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August 15, 2022
Apple TV app fully entering the world of Android TV

Once in a blue moon, something beautiful happens when it comes to the relationship between Apple and Google, and in this case, that is the complete introduction of the Apple TV app to all modern devices with Android TV.

The search engine giant said that starting today, the Apple TV app will be available throughout the “Android TV OS ecosystem,” which means that the streaming service is no longer limited to just Sony Bravia TVs and Chromecast with Google TV but is now released to other media and streaming devices manufactured by companies like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Nvidia, and more.

The news of Apple lowering its ecosystem garden walls broke when Nvidia shared that the Apple TV app will be coming to their Shield TV streaming box at the Computex virtual conference this week. Later on, a tweet from a Xiaomi executive further cemented the news by confirming that the app is coming on all of their Android TV products.

Apple extends an extra pair of hands for those who own one or more of their devices in the form of a one-year subscription to the Apple TV+ streaming service. A very welcome gesture that will without a doubt attract even more people to their already popular streaming service, especially considering the generous periodic extensions of this offer that they’ve showcased up until now.

In a very Apple fashion, they also make it easier for you to set up and sign in through your device by offering the option to do it via scanning a QR code that shows up in the app with your iPhone or iPad.

All’s to say, it seems that Apple is starting to loosen up its historical tight grip on its ecosystem, resulting in a wider audience reach for them and more flexibility for us in our choice and preference, which I will welcome any day.
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Sony launches Apple TV app on select smart TVs running Android TV

Apple launched a brand-new Apple TV app last year, which is now available in more than 100 countries. The app is available on the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, select Samsung smart TVs, and, starting this week, select Sony smart TVs.

Sony announced that the Apple TV app will begin rolling out today in the United States on its X900H series via a software update. The good news is Sony plans to expand the availability of the Apple TV app to more smart TVs by the end of the year, including on select 2018 models and most 2019 and 2020 models.

In case you didn’t know, the app features Apple TV+, Apple’s new video subscription service that offers original shows, movies, and documentaries, including The Morning Show, See, Defending Jacob, Ted Lasso, Greyhound, Boys State, and Beastie Boys Story.

Furthermore, customers can use the Apple TV app to subscribe to Apple TV channels, such as SHOWTIME, CBS All Access, and Starz, as well as watch ad-free and on-demand, directly on the Apple TV app.

The Apple TV+ subscription on the Apple TV app on Sony’s smart TVs is available for $4.99 per month. However, for a limited time, those who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, or Mac are getting one year of Apple TV+ for free.

October 16, 2020

Amazon Music finally arrives on Apple TV

Amazon has announced that its music streaming service is finally available on Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD running tvOS 12.0 and later. If you’re an Amazon Music subscriber, you can now download the Amazon Music app from the App Store for Apple TV.

If you’re not a subscriber, you can still download the app and try out the service for 30 days before deciding whether or not it’s worth a monthly fee. The app allows listeners to browse and search for music from their favorite artists, access all purchased and imported music in their “My Music” library, and follow along with scrolling lyrics to their favorite music within the app.

To get started say “Amazon Music” into the Apple TV Siri Remote or find the Amazon Music app in the Apple TV app store. The app should then display a 6-letter pairing code, which you must enter at https://amazon.com.code via your mobile browser or computer.

Once that’s done, you’ll be able to stream millions of songs and thousands of playlists and stations on your Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD. You’ll also get access to a host of global playlists like Pop Culture, which include some of the popular songs across the current pop music landscape.

Currently, the Amazon Music app for Apple TV is available to customers in the U.S., UK, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Japan, and India.

October 22, 2019

Apple TV+ will allow users to download content for offline viewing

A report revealed that Apple’s video streaming service will be coming our way by November of this year, starting at $9.99 a month and likely with a trial period of some sorts to kick things off. Information about the features of Apple TV+ is scarce right now, but a fresh new leak may have revealed one of them – the ability to save offline content.

New information was discovered in macOS Catalina (the latest version of Apple’s Mac operating system) that suggests that Apple TV+ will allow users to download content for offline viewing. While digging through the code of macOS Catalina, MacRumors discovered lines that refer to Apple’s upcoming TV streaming service. The code suggests that the platform will offer offline viewing, but “with limitations on the total number of downloads, downloads per show or movie, or the total number of times a show or movie can be downloaded.”

As with most other streaming services, Apple TV+ will also have a limitation on the number of simultaneous streams. If a user attempts to stream on more than the allowed number of devices at once, they will be greeted with a notification to first stop one of the other streams.

With TV+, Apple is entering a very crowded and competitive field, dominated by the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. It’s going to be an uphill battle for the iPhone maker, but the company has already reportedly invested around $2 billion in its streaming effort, so it evidently has faith in this endeavor.

Sources with knowledge of the work claim that the company is considering a release model that offers “the first three episodes of some programs, followed by weekly installments,” in contrast to Netflix’s “all-at-once” strategy, where entire seasons are released on the same day for binge-watching.

Services are among the biggest money-makers for Apple, so it comes as little surprise that the company was so eager to dive into video streaming. In fact, while Apple’s biggest cash cow is still the iPhone, services are right behind it, making Apple more money than the iPad and Mac. Apple TV+ is an integral part of the company’s drive to reach $50 billion in services sales by 2020.

September 4, 2019

Apple purges iTunes pages on the eve of its demise

Apple’s arguably most hated piece of legacy software – iTunes – may be killed today at the WWDC keynote, reported Bloomberg over the weekend, and the interesting part is that it won’t be renamed to something else, but different modules will be taking its place instead.

The iTunes syncing and download service is a relic of the past anyway, and will be phased out as Apple’s CEO Tim Cook will be announcing a move away from the iPhone as the centerpiece of the company’s strategy.

The Apple Watch will reportedly gain more independence from the iPhone, the iPad will be getting new software that will aim to close the gap with laptops, and Apple will be pushing its new healthcare solutions, according to the report. Anything but the iPhone.

The transition might not be finished for a couple of years, but this is the strongest push Apple has made toward the unification of its two platforms. Apple and developers can put more effort into one version of things instead of having to build everything twice.

With Watch OS 6, the company is eventually going to introduce a dedicated App Store, compartmentalize messaging, and add stock utility apps of the everyday type like a calculator or a voice recorder that will make you keep the iPhone in your pocket for longer while using the Watch.

One of the slower and more cumbersome to use of Apple’s legacy software, the jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none iTunes will be replaced with apps that now duplicate its functionality. Instead of using it for watching videos, or listening to music and podcasts, Apple’s new Music, TV, and Podcasts apps for the Mac will be taking over. What about shuttling files to and from and managing the phone, though, what iTunes used to do?

Well, those functions will reportedly be taken over by the new Music app, of all things. Apple even started purging the iTunes accounts on Instagram, Facebook and the like, indicating the ancient software’s imminent demise. Good riddance?

June 24, 2019

Steam Link launches on iOS and Apple TV

Due to violating many of App Store’s guidelines, Valve’s Steam Link app was rejected by Apple last year, so Android users were the only ones to be able to bring desktop gaming to their smartphones and tablets.

Well, it looks like Apple and Valve managed to address all the issues so that gamers could enjoy their library of games on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Steam Link for iOS is now available for download via App Store and enables Steam users to play their games on their mobile devices while connected to their computers.

You just need to pair an MFI or Steam controller to your device, connect to a computer running Steam on the same local network, and you should be ready to play any game from your Steam library.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that Steam Link requires an iPhone or iPad running iOS 10 or higher, a computer running Steam (Windows, Mac, or Linux). According to Valve, for best performance, you need to connect your computer using Ethernet to your 5GHz Wi-Fi router, then connect your iOS device to the same 5GHz band of your Wi-Fi network. Also, make sure that you’re not too far away from your router when playing games.

June 6, 2019

TV+, News+, Oprah+, Arcade, Apple is on a War trip

After issuing a plethora of new hardware on the hush-hush lass week with simple press releases, starting from new iPads and finishing with AirPods 2, Apple reserved the stage today entirely for its new adventures in content and media. Multimedia.

It took on cable and Netflix with the upcoming Apple TV channels and TV+ subscription streamer. Game streaming and distribution platforms like Steam or Google’s upcoming Stadia will face the formidable Arcade undertaking. News aggregators and standalone publishers now have another potentially huge platform to consider – News+.

In one fell swoop, Apple wiggled its way right smack in the center of the news and entertainment industry, moving swiftly from a hardware to a content creation focal point. None of these newfangled Apple services can take on the established players on its own just yet, though.

While News+ may give you access to 300+ magazines, the most it managed to sign up were the LA Times and WSJ – hardly the a la carte news buffet it envisaged for its freshest offspring. Ditto for the Arcade gaming platform, and the TV+ original video content streamer. The numbers they will start with are a far cry from the established competition in the fields.

What Apple seems to be betting on, however, is the cumulative power of the platform it has, and the stickiness that will come from offering most everything that your heart desires in the world of infotainment we all live in day in and day out. Once you go that Apple rabbit hole, it imagined, it will be hard to break up with your iPhone, iPad, Mac or even a Samsung smart set with the new Apple TV app on it.

The ability to have your movie, TV channels and shows, newspaper, magazines, or games access folded into one Apple nexus could certainly sound appealing for many an Apple device owner. If the giants of the competition aren’t worried for their own turfs, Apple’s cumulative assault on the media and content business as a whole seems to have started tonight, and with $250 billion war chest, the folks.

April 4, 2019

AccuWeather expands reach via Apple TV app

AccuWeather launched the all-new AccuWeather app for Apple TV, which further expands AccuWeather’s global reach across platforms by enabling users access across devices and locations.

Apple TV users can now quickly and easily zoom in and out on radar conditions locally or anywhere in the world. The enhanced AccuWeather app for Apple TV also provides highly detailed weather forecasts including AccuWeather’s patented MinuteCast minute-by-minute forecast with precipitation type and intensity for the next two hours, as well as start and end times, hyper-localized by Apple TV location.

Additional new features include AccuWeather’s Day by Day 15-Day Forecast, expanded view of hourly weather forecasts, and AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature.

The app offers an expansive variety of weather HD video content available from any news and information provider.

“AccuWeather continues to demonstrate its commitment to an expansive global digital strategy with this application,” said Steve Smith, President of Digital Media for AccuWeather. “Viewers can rely on AccuWeather’s personalized, exclusive weather experience on Apple TV, in addition to the AccuWeather iOS app, for weather information and updates with Superior Accuracy.”

AccuWeather is the only app in the weather category to offer expanded language support on Apple TV, meeting localization needs with more than 100 languages and dialects. The app also provides real-time global severe weather alerts and warnings for Apple TV users.

May 25, 2016

Apple is working to open retail stores in India, now the world’s second-largest smartphone market. Although Apple has eyed the country for a while now, the company’s plans point to a quick and rapid expansion to help its iPhone sales.

Apple is working to open its first retail stores in India, a country of 1.3 billion people that’s grown into the world’s second-largest smartphone market, behind China, and one that can help keep new customers coming to the iPhone.

To get that process started, Apple submitted an application to receive government approval to open its first stores there, though it didn’t get the “format” quite right and has resubmitted the application, according to a Feb. 7 report from Bloomberg Business. An unnamed source told the publication that it’s not clear how many stores Apple aims to open, or in what time frame the application may be approved.

During Apple’s Jan. 26 earning call with analysts, CEO Tim Cook pointed to India as an “incredibly exciting” market for growth and an example of Apple’s ability to find investment opportunities during times of economic uncertainty.

“Some of the most important breakthrough products in Apple’s history were born as a result of investing through the downturn,” Cook said during the call. “We’ve also seen these times as opportunities to invest in new markets, just as we’re doing now in areas such as India.”

As of the close of Apple’s quarter, 66% of its revenue was generated outside of the US. Despite economic softness, Cook said that Apple saw its best results ever in Greater China, with revenue growing 14% over last year and 47% sequentially.

It currently has 28 stores in China and plans to have 40 by this summer.

Highlighting the potential that India represents, Cook noted that while the median age in China is around 36 or 37, in India it’s 27.

“Almost half the people in India are below 25,” Cook noted. “So I see the demographics there also being incredibly great for a consumer brand and for people that really want the best products.”

Sales of iPhones in India grew 76% during the quarter.

During the calendar third quarter of 2015, one in three smartphones shipped in India was 4G enabled, an almost threefold increase over the previous quarter

Nearly half of the smartphones sold there during the quarter had 5-inch-plus displays and prices below $200. With sub-$150 LTE devices, Samsung currently dominates India’s budding smartphone market, with a 24% share, followed by Micromax, an Indian brand, with a 16.7% share.

Apple’s marketshare, by comparison, is around 2%, which analysts attribute, in part, to Indian consumers’ lack of an in-store experience and the relative high prices of the iPhone.

Following Apple’s last earnings call, Jackdaw Research analyst Jan Dawson explained that while Apple continues to diversify its revenue streams, the size of its iPhone base “becomes ever more important to its revenue growth.”

While Apple introduced the Apple Watch, Apple TV, Apple Music, and the iPad Pro in 2015 to spur growth and profitability, Dawson wrote, “almost all of these new products and services are tied to the iPhone in some way, and benefit greatly from the installed base of a half billion iPhone users.”

While the iPhone itself will contribute less to Apple’s overall performance going forward, Dawson added, “it’s going to become ever more central to Apple’s future growth.”

IDC analyst Kiran Kumar expects smartphone marketshare in India to finally outstrip feature phones in 2016, and for the country to see a “healthy double-digit growth rate” over the next few years.

From the research of Counterpoint, “India smartphone user base grew to 220 million users by the end of 2015, surpassing [the United States] for the first time ever.”

Tag: apple TV