Author: Daisuke Wakabayashi and John Koblin / Source: New York Times
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple unveiled a new video streaming service on Monday with a parade of celebrities rarely seen on a stage outside of Hollywood’s awards season, with heavyweight directors like Steven Spielberg and J.
J. Abrams and stars like Octavia Spencer and Jennifer Aniston.Oprah Winfrey even served as the closer for the nearly two-hour event at the Steve Jobs Theater on Apple’s campus. “They’re in a billion pockets, y’all,” Ms. Winfrey said of Apple’s global reach. “A billion pockets.”
As enthusiastic as the entertainment industry appears to be to work with Apple, it is increasingly clear that Apple needs Hollywood. After years of record profits, the company is slowing down. Phone sales are cooling, and despite the relative popularity of products like the Apple Watch, the next big thing has eluded the Silicon Valley giant.
Now, short of another game-changing gadget and facing tough competition from rivals like Amazon and Netflix, Apple is trying to make sure you never leave all those Apple devices you have acquired over the years. The company unveiled an expansive strategy to push consumers to do more than just buy its hardware products. It has plans for new monthly subscription services for TV programming, video games and news, as well as a new credit card.
The new services represent an evolution of Apple’s business. For years, Apple focused mainly on selling devices, counting on consumers to upgrade phones and tablets every few years. Now the company is keying on selling content and services for its roughly 1.4 billion active devices, which include Apple TV boxes, Apple Watches, Mac computers and iPads.
The streaming service is called Apple TV Plus. After years of speculation about what an Apple alternative to Netflix might look like, the company offered few details about the new offering — but plenty of razzle dazzle. Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, Kumail Nanjiani, Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard — even Big Bird from Sesame Street — also joined Apple executives on the stage.
At the heart of Apple TV Plus will be new original programs. It will not carry advertising and will begin this fall in more than 100 countries. It will also include programs from other television networks like HBO, Showtime, Starz and CBS.
But some of the biggest questions going into the Apple event were not answered, starting with price. The stars talked about their new programs, but the broad story lines of the shows were already known.
Mr. Spielberg was the first Hollywood celebrity to take the stage, and he received the morning’s first standing ovation. “This is my first time at Apple,” he said.
Mr. Spielberg was also speaking for many in the entertainment…
The post Apple Unveils Video Service With Celebrity Parade but Few Details appeared first on FeedBox.