Apple’s TV+ Presentation Showed Promise, but Stumbled Where It Mattered

Today was the day that Apple was supposed to go big and introduce the world to its new original streaming platform in a huge way. We knew the stars would likely be out in force, and that we might finally learn the platform’s official name. What we didn’t know was if Apple could sell us on the promise of the new service. And after sitting through the entire presentation in the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, I don’t really know what to think of Apple TV+. In fact, the day felt like a missed opportunity for Apple.

While the experience of being at Apple Park was certainly seductive — the complex looming over the Steve Jobs Theater like a modern Versailles, friendly staff peppered every five feet complimenting your jackets, crew applauding your arrival to the restrooms — the March 25 event itself fell a little flat. Apple has long been a name associated with quality, and there’s a lot about Apple TV, Apple Channels, and Apple TV+ that seems exciting. However by only offering a scant amount of footage, no price plan, no official launch date, and no talent interviews, our first look at the service felt like all sizzle, and no steak.

Here’s what looks good: the new Apple TV app seems like an upgrade in interface to the last one. The trick that lets you swipe through titles like you’re switching channels recreates one of the best experiences of the coaxial era. And the news that Apple TV will be available soon on Smart TVs, Roku, and FireStick is a game-changer. Not only does it mean that formerly frosty relationship between Apple and Amazon is thawing — there was a lot of Amazon content shown in the demos — but that Apple is trying to integrate itself into other tech in order to be successful. That’s huge, and definitely a pivot from the walled garden approach that Steve Jobs pioneered.

Apple TV+ also seems to have a potentially awesome opening slate of programming. The Morning Show, starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carrell, looks like old school must-see TV. The sizzle reel of footage all looks well-made, beautifully produced, and, well, interesting. A new Ronald D. Moore space show!?! A quirky look at Emily Dickinson?!? Sign. Me. Up.

However, there were some noticeable misses in Apple’s presentation, starting with Apple Channels. The idea of a service that only charges you for the specific channels and services you want is a cord-cutter’s dream (albeit one that Amazon has had in the marketplace for a few years now). However, even as Apple touted it as the only service a cord-cutter would need, Netflix, Disney/Fox, and NBC Universal’s offerings were conspicuously missing from the titles they showed off. With Netflix dominating the streaming conversation, and Disney+ announcing their own line-up in  a little over two weeks, Apple Channels is not the only service a customer will need. If Apple had managed to snag partnerships with those heavy hitters, it would have been monumental. Now, they’re just another service angling for your dollars.

On the Apple TV+ front, there were a couple of issues that Apple was definitely hoping to brush under the proverbial rug with a parade of celebrity appearances. First of all, the name is kind of…bad. The plus sign has been used and discarded by Hulu in the past, and is what Disney is using in their streaming service name. It’s old, and it’s also kind of tacky that Apple is leaning hard into it with both their TV streaming service and their new Apple News magazine subscription service.

And what of the original programming? Yes, it potentially looks good, but without access to screeners, preview clips, or even a trailer that identifies which project is which (would it have been too difficult to throw a few titles in that sizzle reel?), it’s impossible to pass judgment — negative or positive — on the shows. Apple also declined to share any information on pricing or an official launch date. This lack of intel can only stoke skepticism. Apple TV+ could be full of transcendently good programming, but how will we know? When will we know? Basically, it was a non-event on the TV side.

Apple probably would have been better served waiting to roll out their streaming service at a later date when these details were hammered out. (It also would have behooved them to maybe spend more time on the entertainment part of the day and less on the forging of titanium credit cards.) Bottom line: We know roughly the same amount of information about their streaming plans as we did yesterday. The only big news we got were the service’s names, which are lackluster.