The new Apple TV app puts all your movies and TV serials in one place
The new Apple TV app puts all your movies and TV serials in one place
Apple kicked off its Mac event today with the unveiling of a new TV app. It’s called TV (yes, really), and it wants to be the app to rule them all. Apple talked up the possibilities of a unified TV experience, where the TV app would aggregate content from different services like HBO and Hulu.
Apple partnered with the different video providers to make this possible, and TV is really quite an elegant solution to the proliferation of streaming platforms and content channels today.
It simplifies the process of getting to the content you want by quite a bit. It now features a single sign-on feature, which means that you’ll only have to sign in once to access content from different platforms. Apple introduced this for tvOS earlier this year, so it makes sense to integrate this in the new TV app as well.
The app will be available for free as part of an update for tvOS, and will roll out to US customers by the end of the year. It will also work on the iPhone and iPad, effectively putting Apple TV on mobile devices as well. And when you add a new app to the TV app, it is installed on all your devices.
Siri works with the new app, and is smart enough to know which app to launch when you ask to watch a particular program. It can handle more general requests as well, such as queries as to what sport games are on at a particular time.
When you watch a particular program, the app will display a “Watch Now” section, which tracks the shows and movies currently on your radar. You’ll be alerted to new episodes from your favorite shows, and can also navigate to the “Up Next” and “Recommended” sections to discover new stuff.
With the new TV app, Apple has forcefully inserted itself between users and those who control content. And given the sheer popularity of the iPhone and other Apple devices, Apple is now an even more influential player in the distribution and consumption of content.
The company’s goal is, unsurprisingly, ambitious. As Tim Cook said on stage, “Now with the TV app, there’s really no reason to watch TV anywhere else.” There’s just one unfortunate omission – for reasons unstated, Netflix is not part of the services available in TV, a possible sign of the growing rivalry between the two companies.
Apple has said multiple times that it believes the future of TV is apps. Or maybe it’s just one app in particular now?