Category: Apple Insider

When Apple TV officially launched on November 1, 2019, Apple’s long-awaited streaming TV service appeared underwhelming to many observers, a view that stuck well into 2020.

Of the shows that arrived at launch from Apple TV+, none were really cultural breakthroughs, nor were any of the series that followed in the months afterward. Sure, Apple TV+ could point to some creative successes in its first few months, but nothing that really made any real headway.

Nothing Apple put on Apple TV+ made as much of an impact as The Mandalorian, the Star Wars-associated show that Disney+ launched right out of the gate. Competition from new streaming services proliferated throughout the spring and summer of 2020, and when the coronavirus led to millions of households being stuck at home, it was Netflix’s Tiger King that dominated the cultural conversation, not anything on Apple TV+.

However, Apple TV+ has benefited from an impressive hot streak of good news throughout the spring and summer of 2020. It had a couple of series break through, it acquired some impressive movies and shows, and it’s gotten into business with some major talents. And after a pause due to the pandemic, production has resumed on several of the service’s important shows.

Heading into year two, Apple TV+ suddenly looks to be on the upswing.

They may not be Mandalorian-sized hits, but Apple appears to have broken through in 2020 with a pair of shows. Defending Jacob, the mystery and legal procedural starring Captain America actor Chris Evans, was seen as the most popular show for Apple TV+ in the early going.

Chris Evans and Jaeden Martell on “Defending Jacob”

Defending Jacob, unfortunately for Apple, was a limited series, one that ended in such a way that future seasons are practically impossible. However, that’s far from the case with Apple’s other success, Ted Lasso.

Apple TV+, in its first year, got into business with A-list stars, Oscar winners, and creators of great accomplishment. But the show that connected like no other is a half-hour comedy starring a former Saturday Night Live performer and occasional movie actor, about an American football coach leading a soccer club in England.

Ted Lasso, which is based on a series of TV commercials from when NBC started broadcasting the English Premier League in 2013, is undeniably connecting with audiences, due in part to its ethos of unrelenting optimism. Tim Cook said as much, on Apple’s quarterly earnings call on October 29.

“Apple TV+ continues to impress, from fan favorites like Ted Lasso, which has won a worldwide audience with its hopeful tone during challenging times, to critical and award praise, including a Primetime Emmy for Billy Crudup in The Morning Show,” Cook said on the call, which otherwise was light on new information about Apple TV+.

Ted Lasso not only received a second season, but it’s also been renewed for a third, becoming the second Apple TV+ series, after Dickinson, to get a second renewal.

The cast of “Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet”

As is often the case with measures of streaming TV audiences, there are no “official” figures in terms of viewership for Apple TV+ shows. Apple has never released them — nor has it released any subscriber numbers. There are no neutral arbiters with universally accepted authoritative numbers about the size of such audiences.

Nielsen recently began releasing weekly ratings figures for streaming TV shows, although Apple TV+ has not yet been included in those ratings. There are, however, various third party research firms and other websites that put out such data.

The “streaming TV guide” Realgood, in early October, released a ranking of the most-watched Apple TV+ shows in the third quarter, which listed Ted Lasso as the most watched series on the platform, with 18.4 percent of the total share of streams. The Morning Show was second, with 15.8 percent, and Defending Jacob third with 10.4 percent. They were followed by See, Mythic Quest, Home Before Dark, Servant, For All Mankind, Central Park, and Little America.

Apple rival Disney+ may have had a big hit with The Mandalorian, which returned at the end of October with its second season, but aside from the one-shot movie Hamilton, Disney’s service hasn’t had another original hit since.

Analyst Rich Greenfield of Lightshed Management, who covers the streaming media world extensively, said on Twitter in early October that “Apple TV+ has meaningfully outperformed Disney+ in year one in terms of original programming, [especially] programming for anyone over the age of 10. [Eddy Cue] and the Apple TV Plus team do not get enough credit, [especially] with no catalog or history in content production.”

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert

This fall, in addition to its original shows, Apple has released the A24 collaboration On the Rocks, an acclaimed Bill Murray movie from director Sofia Coppola that’s garnered Oscar buzz, and also Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You, an exceptionally well-mounted making-of documentary about The Boss’ new album. The latter, which had a tie-in with the new Apple Music TV, shows the potential of what Apple TV+ can do with music-oriented programming.

The good news for Apple TV+ has also come from announcements about future projects and talent deals. Throughout the summer and fall, seemingly not a week has gone by without Apple announcing a major deal of some kind.

Apple has acquired some movies that had been slated for theatrical releases pre-pandemic, most notably Tom Hanks’ Greyhound, while it also landed Emancipation, a historical thriller with Will Smith that’s set to arrive in 2021.

Apple landed Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese’s next film, back in May, and announced a separate first-look deal with Scorsese’s production company in August.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, of “Killers of the Flower Moon”

The many-time Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus, A-list movie star Leonardo DiCaprio, and the acclaimed actor Idris Elba are among other huge names who have signed productions deals with Apple this year. Apple also recently signed up movie stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne to star in a comedy series called Platonic.

Then, at the end of October, Apple announced that it will host Jon Stewart’s TV comeback, signing a deal to produce a current events series hosted by the former Daily Show host, as well as other shows Stewart will produce. If Stewart, with his new show, can capture the zeitgeist at anywhere near the level he did back in his Comedy Central days, that’s big news for Apple.

Apple’s penchant for talent-friendliness can have its pitfalls. Its documentary series Dear was essentially about famous people being told by fans how awesome they are, in a way that wasn’t the slightest bit entertaining or illuminating. Some shows, like Amazing Stories with Steven Spielberg and Little Voice with J.J. Abrams, invoked a particular big name in their marketing, while those people ended up having little to do with the series creatively.

But clearly, Apple has money to wave at creators. There’s no reason to think these big-name talent deals won’t continue, and it also appears those creators have gotten some freedom.

There were fears around the time of Apple TV+’s launch that it would avoid controversial or adult content, or amount to an “expensive NBC,” as was reportedly joked about internally.

The shows, so far, have included some amounts of violence and sexuality, and with projects on the way from the likes of Martin Scorsese and Seth Rogen, there’s likely more of that on the way. While a least a couple of shows have seen showrunners replaced, including The Morning Show, there have been no stories reported from behind the scenes suggesting Apple was heavy-handed with its influence in the executive suite when it comes to content.

Apple TV+’s “Long Way Up”

A major knock on Apple TV+ when it launched was that it offered subscribers so much less than its rivals did. While Disney+ had the back catalogs of Disney animation, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and more available at launch, Apple TV+ had only its handful of originals. The newer services, especially HBO Max, have also arrived with massive back catalogs of classic movies.

A year on, that’s started to change. There is, of course, more original content from Apple that’s been added over time. There were also reports in May that Apple had begun talks to add older back catalog content to the service.

There’s been no major move in that regard yet, although when Apple debuted the Ewan McGregor docuseries Long Way Up, it also obtained the rights to the two previous seasons of the series, which had been produced elsewhere. This also happened with Apple’s recent deal for the rights to the Peanuts holiday specials.

The potential for additional catalog content is something to watch for Apple TV+ as it enters Year 2.

Disney+

Despite the catalog deficit, there is one big advantage Apple has over several of its streaming counterparts, such as Disney+, HBO Max and Peacock, one that’s become especially clear of late. Apple’s future, as a company, doesn’t depend in any way on its streaming service’s success.

Whether caused by the pandemic or longer-term troubles, many of Apple TV+’s rivals have their core businesses collapsing around them and need to lean on streaming to promise themselves a future.

Disney recently announced a reorganization meant to reorient their entire company around its streaming strategy. AT&T is clearly depending heavily on the success of HBO Max. Comcast, owner of Peacock, is losing cable subscribers at a significant rate.

Apple, on the other hand, has core businesses that are doing much better. It doesn’t own theme parks, a movie studio, a cable or satellite business, or other such declining assets. Therefore, Apple isn’t in a position where it has to use Apple TV+ to paper over failures in other areas of its business.

In addition, as evidenced by that yearlong spree of production deals, Apple doesn’t appear to be holding back on spending when it comes to Apple TV+.

Hailee Steinfeld as Emily Dickinson on Apple TV+’s “Dickinson”

While production was delayed for several months on most Apple TV+ shows, many of them are back before the cameras. Dickinson will debut its second season in January, with The Morning Show and other launch shows likely to return at some point in 2021.

Most of the first batch of shows were renewed by Apple, with other big series, such the high-budget adaption of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation and the Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg-produced Masters of the Air, are also on the way in year 2, with the latter getting production underway in the spring.

Apple TV+ hasn’t yet matched, say, Netflix when it comes to audience size or cultural ubiquity. But there’s no doubt, after one year, that the service is ahead of where Netflix was a year after it launched its streaming service.

From popular shows to talent deals to a robust pipeline, every indication is that its future is bright. And, even if the near-term is dim, Apple has the patience and wherewithal to wait out the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

As promised, Apple has now launched its Apple One bundle of services. There are three tiers available, each potentially saving you money depending on which Apple services you already use. Apple has added the ability to switch from paying separately for each of those services like Apple Music, or extra iCloud storage, and instead pay one single price.

To do this, you need to choose what tier you want, then elect to move to it. Apple helps you along the way by recommending what it believes is right for you, based on your existing subscriptions.

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings
2. Tap on your name at the top
3. Then tap on Subscriptions
4. You may have to wait a few seconds, but Apple One will appear as an option
5. Tap on that and Apple will display the three pricing tiers with details
6. Apple also highlights which tier it recommends
7. Tap pick a tier, then make sure you read the details
8. Tap on Start Free trial

That last section about a free trial is potentially confusing. You certainly get a month’s free trial of any service that you do not current use, but beyond that, you don’t. So you may very well find that in each description of the pricing tiers, there’s a line saying “Your existing subscriptions are not eligible for trial.”

Go to Settings, then tap on your name and choose Subscriptions

If you do, you still get the button marked Start Free Trial. Tap on it.

What’s happening is that Apple is charging you for the first month when you subscribe, but it then prorating what you’ve already spent. So after you’ve confirmed your purchase, you can see pricing details on each of your previously separate subscriptions.

For instance, you may see “Apple News+ (Monthly) This subscription will be included in Apple One starting on 30 November 2020.”

As part of this business of transferring from separate subscriptions, which may very well have different renewal dates, you will find that Apple refunds you part of your payment immediately.

Once you’ve gone through this special new signup process, Apple One gets listed alongside all your other subscriptions on your iPhone. Go to Settings, tap on your name, then choose Subscriptions.

While you will still see all your prior Apple services listed, at least until their renewal date occurs, you can tap on Apple One in the list to get more details.

Next, pick your Apple One tier and confirm

Those details include all the regular information about your renewal date, but also repeats the three tiers. You can tap on Plan Details to find out more about what each offers, or you can tap to change to a different tier.

If you really change your mind, then this section in Settings also has the option to either Cancel Apple One, or Choose Individual Services.

You may well decide to go back to individual services. Apple One potentially represents a saving, but if you don’t use all of services in each tier, it will make more sense to pay for them individually.

Rather than joining up and cancelling, though, it’s better to work out in advance whether Apple One truly saves you money each month.

If you’ve already made that calculation, too, you should still consider it carefully because Apple One’s pricing plans include an option that Apple hadn’t previously mentioned. A key difference between the tiers is how much extra iCloud storage you get, but it turns out that you can choose any tier and then elect to add more storage on top of it. So you could choose the lowest-price plan, the Individual tier, which gets you 50GB, but then separately add on another 50GB, 200GB, or 2TB for $0.99, $2.99, or $9.99 on top of your regular Apple One tier.

The production of iPhones has historically led to a reduction in air quality in four key Chinese cities: Zhengzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Chongqing. By tracking the air quality in these cities, analysts can gauge Apple’s production cycles.

“As of October 26th, air quality data from Zhengzhou, also known as ‘iPhone City,’ shows that industrial production levels have spiked higher recently, about a month later than historical seasonality, which we believe coincides with the ramp in iPhone 12 mass production,” Morgan Stanley analysts Katy Huberty wrote in a note seen by CNBC.

Apple typically announces its new iPhones in September, though it’s likely the coronavirus had slowed down the 2020 production cycle.

To grab the reduced $14.29 price, just check the 20% off coupon box on this Amazon product page and then enter 25% off promo code ZIPXB4W4 during checkout. The offer is set to expire on Oct. 31, but the coupon may end early after it reaches a set number of redemptions.

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Apple deals are hitting a fever pitch as retailers issue aggressive price drops on even brand-new hardware heading into Black Friday.

Save $40 instantly on Apple’s new iPad Air 4, with the 64GB Wi-Fi model dropping to $559 in the popular new green color, a record low at B&H Photo. Amazon started the price war on the brand-new iPad Air, but quickly sold out, with units back to MSRP.

According to B&H, inventory is coming soon and limited quantities are available at the discounted price so it’s best to secure your spot in line now. See how this deal stacks up to other retailers in our iPad Air 4 Price Guide.

If you’d prefer the tablet in Rose Gold, Walmart is also running a $40 off promo on the 64GB Wi-Fi Air.

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running additional exclusive deals on hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in bonus discounts on protection plans, software and more. Here are some of the offers:

In the trailer, viewers are introduced to some of the children who will be followed in the series. It also presents the premise — follow children during their first 2,000 days on the planet as they learn to talk, think, and love.

“Becoming You” shows how different our journeys can be while highlighting our shared humanity. The series showcases over 100 kids from across the world, from Nepal to Japan and Borneo. The series is set to premiere on November 13.

The series is narrated by Olivia Colman, produced by Wall to Wall Media, and is executive produced by Leanne Klein and Hamo Forsyth.

On October 21, Apple removed the App Store listing for its first-party “Remote” app, a tool that was first introduced as the iTunes Remote before being turned into a controller for the Apple TV. Apple’s removal of the app leaves users with the option of using the bundled Siri Remote for the Apple TV, or the software-based version for their iOS devices, integrated into Control Center.

A series of tweets posted following Apple’s delisting of the app by Alan Cannistraro, a former Apple engineer who originally worked on the app, explains the history of the tool within Apple from its first code written in 2016. According to Cannistraro, he started to write code before he was able to see the iPhone user interface, by using UI elements of his own creation.

Cannistraro was encouraged to go further with his initial efforts as Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs was “nervous the App Store wouldn’t be a hit, so he wanted Apple to have apps,” which Jobs explained to the developer on seeing his work. It was also the first production app to be used by the App Store team to trial the “upload flow” to the App Store, earning its place as the first app on it.

The shipped version was also a stripped-down variant of Cannistraro’s work, as the prototype also enabled the control to turn lights, televisions, and receivers on and off via an IR adaptor, as well as to save and resume a room’s state as a “Scene.” This may have been a precursor to HomeKit, Apple’s smarthome platform which also uses Scenes as a concept, but Cannistraro admits his pitch was a “larger idea around device communication that never got off the ground.”

A later prototype in 2009 was able to use the touchscreen of the iPhone to be a computer mouse, as well as a way to “interact with photos, applications (the original TouchBar) and screensavers” on a Mac, Cannistraro claims.

By 2010, Cannistraro once again sat with Jobs about a version of the Remote app, one that allowed for the control of the Apple TV using swipes. He claims Jobs said at the time “Our next Apple TV Remote should be this without a screen.”

Five years later, which Cannistraro attributed to Jobs’ death pausing “lots of stuff,” the Siri Remote was released, one that almost all Apple TV users are familiar with using, and employs the same control mechanic.

Despite the removal of the Remote for Apple TV from the App Store, Apple still maintains the iTunes Remote app, which is used to manage the playback of media in Apple Music, iTunes, and the Apple TV app on a Mac or a PC.

Apple’s latest iPhone models started to arrive with consumers on Friday, so it wasn’t long after release that the first teardown videos of the devices started to surface. In the first fully-detailed disassembly of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, iFixit indicates there’s some changes in the design over the iPhone 11 generation, in order to add 5G functionality.

The initial stage of gaining access in the teardown hasn’t changed much for 2020, with the use of Pentalobe screwdrivers, suction cups, picks, and heat used to lever open the display. Rather than opening on the left-hand edge, a routine that has been in play since the iPhone 7, the iPhone 12 opens from the right-hand edge.

An initial glance at the insides of both non-Pro and Pro models simultaneously has no indications one is better than the other, until the removal of the camera shield. It seems that the two were constructed so alike that Apple uses a plastic spacer in the iPhone 12 where the third camera and LiDAR sensor would be located in the iPhone 12 Pro.

The iPhone 12 and Pro cameras, as well as a camera spacer [via iFixit]

Another change for 2020 is the flipping of positions for the SIM tray, logic board, and battery, which is thought to be due to the larger logic board housing Qualcomm’s 5G chips. The logic board includes the Apple A14 Bionic SoC layered with Micron memory, Samsung flash storage, Qualcomm’s 5G and LTE transceiver, Qualcomm’s 5G modem, Apple’s U1 chip and power management controller, and an Avago power amplifier and integrated duplexer.

To make 5G work properly, the smartphones were found to have mmWave antenna modules embedded in the side of the frame and on the back of the logic board.

For other components, it was found that Apple had changed how the speakers were held in place, with it using Phillips screws and bright orange rubber gaskets instead of adhesive, which may aid repairs. The MagSafe charging arrays use 18 magnets to align the coils in place with the charger, with the polarity of the magnets thought to “expand the effective placement of the phone” while still maintaining proper alignment.

A side-by-side component view of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro [via iFixit]

In summing up the new models, iFixit suggests Apple has made “some serious design compromises” to add 5G components, with the loss of elements like the L-shaped battery and the smaller logic board. Though not “death by a thousand cuts,” the concessions made by Apple makes the iPhones feel “the least inventive.”

iFixit gave the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 a “Repairability Score” of 6 out of 10. While display and battery replacements stay as a priority along with modular components inside and the use of screws, the continued use of glue and the increased waterproofing measures “complicate some repairs,” while a broken glass back replacement will requiring the removal of every component from the device.

Apple is said to be bidding on an upcoming James Bond flick, titled “No Time to Die,” hoping to bring the movie exclusively to Apple TV+.

Earlier this year, Apple purchased Tom Hanks’ World War II film, “Greyhound,” when it was apparent that a theater release would be impossible.

The Bond franchise is owned by MGM, and according to Binged, the company likely feels pressure to sell the film to the highest bidder. Many would-be theater releases have taken to releasing films on streaming platforms in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to Apple, Netflix is said to be in the running to purchase the upcoming Bond film.

Both new Xfinity Mobile customers and existing customers activating a new line are eligible for a $250 discount on Apple’s iPhone. For new customers, you must transfer your number within 30 days and the $250 discount will be applied as bill credits over 24 months of the device payment plan. Existing Xfinity Mobile customers upgrading or replacing a device will receive a $250 prepaid Visa Card.

With the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro hitting store shelves tomorrow, this is a great deal on the newly released 5G models. Other iPhone models are eligible for the savings too, though, including the budget-friendly iPhone SE and XR.

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running additional exclusive deals on Mac and iPad hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in bonus discounts on protection plans, software and more. Here are some of the offers: