Not long before he passed away in 2011, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs famously told biographer Walter Isaacson that he was working on plans to streamline and revolutionize the TV experience, much like his company had forever changed music and phones. "It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it," Jobs said. Apple has yet to introduce its own TV sets, and its Apple TV streaming box has been a niche product relative to the company's other devices. But it hasn't given up on fulfilling Jobs's vision for remaking TV.
On Monday,March 25, 2019, at one of its patented media events at Apple HQ in Cupertino, California, the tech giant will unwrap a long-gestating plan to turn itself into a significant player in the TV business. And while the super-secretive Apple has said next to nothing about what's on the agenda - even to the producers and networks it's working with - some details have emerged. Here's a guide to what we do (and don't) know about Apple's TV kickoff, and what it could mean for the television business as a whole.
Apple is expected to use the event to unveil a new video strategy, one built around original streaming content commissioned by the company. Expect cameos from big stars - Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, and Steven Spielberg are all possibilities - and a first look at footage from the new shows Apple has ordered. The tech giant may also announce an upgraded or perhaps completely rebuilt version of its TV app, allowing cord-cutting consumers a more convenient way to subscribe to and stream content from a host of non-Apple video suppliers (similar, though likely nowhere near as far-reaching, as services such as YouTube TV and Sling). Numerous publications have reported that Apple will also use Monday's presentation to roll out a new way to subscribe to newspaper and magazine content.
Apple wants to further diversify its revenue base. As awesome as iPhone and iPad sales are for Apple's bottom line, folks simply aren't upgrading their devices as often as they once did. The company needs more diverse and consistent revenue streams, and offering services that drive consumer subscriptions does just that. The $10 per month Apple Music plan currently has well over 50 million subscribers - nowhere near as many as Spotify's almost 90 million listeners, but enough to be a hugely important source of income. The company also recently bought Texture, an app that lets users pay a monthly fee to access the full content of dozens of print magazines. Per multiple reports, Apple will unveil a supercharged version of Texture, likely rebranded Apple News, featuring newspaper and magazine content for a monthly fee. The TV play offers a similar opportunity to keep money flowing to Cupertino by making sure Apple earns money off your iPhones and iPads long after you purchase them.
There's precedent for what Apple is doing here. The NBC television network and its predecessor radio network were owned jointly by RCA, Westinghouse, and General Electric, the companies that dominated early production of radio and TV sets. Having put devices in millions of American homes, they realized they could keep profiting off their wares by making and distributing content for them. Apple's strategy is much more involved, but not dissimilar.
