At its annual iPhone event in Cupertino on Tuesday, Apple confirmed its Apple TV+ streaming service will launch on Nov. 1 for a monthly price of $4.99 per month. In addition, Apple is including a year of Apple TV+ for free if you buy a new Apple device such as an iPhone or iPad.
Apple's first foray into entertainment will naturally work on TVs as well as laptops, tablets and phones. As you might imagine, it's a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, but with an Apple twist. That's right: The company behind the iPhone is funding original TV shows and movies now.
Apple spent most of 2019 tantalizing us with an impressive list of creators making content for Apple TV+, including Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey. One of the early heavy-hitters for Apple is The Morning Show, a drama about a morning news show starring Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carrell, and Reese Witherspoon.
On Tuesday, Apple also showed off See, a new sci-fi original starring Jason Momoa about a world where most humans have lost the ability to, well, see. The trailer at the event was one of the closest looks we've gotten yet at an original show for the service.
A couple of weeks ago, Apple also showed off Dickinson. The half-hour comedy stars Hailee Steinfeld of True Gritfame as poet Emily Dickinson. The new service might lack existing shows people already love, but it's certainly not lacking for star power in its original programming.
It'll be fascinating to see Apple compete with Netflix, Amazon, and now Disney+, which will feature Marvel and Star Wars content, and be available with Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 a month. At just $4.99 per month, Apple TV+ is cheaper than the competition while seemingly offering a bit less. If the original programming is as good as the people behind it, it could be a good value.