Apple TV+ price and launch date revealed

Apple just released a lot of new information regarding its streaming platform. How does it compare to Netflix, Disney+ and others?

Apple released several long-awaited details on its new streaming platform. Here are some of the key takeaways.

Name:  Apple TV+

Launch Date:  November 1st

Price:  $4.99/month

Global availability: 100 countries as of November 1st

Incentive:  Purchasers of an iPhone, iMac or Apple TV will get one year of      AppleTV+ for free

What will be available day one: See, The Morning Show, Dickinson, For All Mankind, Helpsters, Snoopy in Space, Ghostwriter, The Elephant Queen, Oprah Winfrey

The November 1st release date cuts ahead of Disney+’s November 12th launch. It’s $4.99/month price also slightly undercuts Disney’s $6.99/month, but this isn’t too surprising given Apple’s relative lack of content at this point compared to Disney.

The platform will surely continue to grow in content, with several projects already in the works involving the likes of Aaron Paul, Anthony Mackie, and Samuel L. Jackson. Compared to its competition, however, it seems Apple will concentrate on quality over quantity.

It would take a long time to build up the content library of a Netflix or Hulu, so focusing on especially quality content to attract subscribers makes some sense as a strategy. Making deals with stars like Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon is part of putting this strategy into motion, as these deals are expensive but should attract a lot of attention.

But maybe Apple will eventually be capable of both quality AND quantity. Making deals with stars is expensive, but Apple has so much cash to work with that it might be able to ink a whole lot more of these deals.

So with so many streaming options and a limited budget, will Apple TV+ be worth the subscription? Whereas many people will likely subscribe to Disney+ from day one due to the vast content library, it seems prudent to wait and see how Apple’s new shows are received by critics and audiences before making the decision.

If one is in need of a new iPhone or laptop, the free one year subscription will provide a great chance to give it a test run. Be warned, however. In a year’s time, Apple could very well have built an attractive platform, so it might be hard to give up.