This week on The CultCast: Apple’s “it’s show time” event is just around the corner, and this is the first event ever that focuses purely on services. Is Apple’s streaming TV service going to suck? Don’t miss our “show time” keynote predications. Plus: Leander unveils the details on his new Tim Cook book, out April 16th!
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Episode
CultCast #379 — Apple’s ‘show time’ event expectations!
On the show this week
@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney
Apple reveals WWDC 2019 set for June 3 – 7
- This week, Apple revealed that it will host WWDC 2019 in San Jose, California, from June 3 to 7.
- Registered developers can apply for tickets now through March 20 at 5 p.m. Pacific on the WWDC website. Tickets cost $1,599 per person and are issued through a random selection process.
- iOS 13, macOS 10.15, watchOS 6 and tvOS 13 are all expected to be previewed during the WWDC 2019 keynote.
It’s show time! Apple confirms March 25 event at Steve Jobs Theater
- Apple will hold its next special event on Monday, March 25, in the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino.
What to expect from Apple’s ‘show time’ event on March 25
- The first Apple event of 2019 is nearly here. Tim Cook and friends are set to take the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater on March 25 to unveil the company’s newest goodies, only instead of unveiling some shiny new gadgets you can buy, Apple is supposedly going to bust out some services you can subscribe to.
- Apple’s “It’s show time” event is expected to be the first one ever where services and software play the starring roles.
TV streaming service
- Instead of trying to be just like Netflix, Apple’s new TV service is expected to pull in content from other sources like Hulu, Showtime and HBO.
- As for Apple’s own TV shows, don’t expect them to be available at launch. The company allegedly will show a few previews at the event, giving us our first glimpse of the TV series it’s been working on. Some of the shows likely will come out later in the year, but Apple has so many projects in the works that most won’t come out until later.
Apple News service
- Details about what, exactly, the new news service will look like remain murky. Rumors indicate it will cost about $9.99 per month, giving readers access to unlimited articles from sites that usually put their content behind a paywall. The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and other publishers have all been approached to join the service. Some of those companies reportedly chafed at Apple’s proposed 50/50 revenue split.
Magazine service
- Apple bought texture last year, a service that let users browse hundreds of magazine in digital format for $10 a month.
- Developer Steve Troughton-Smith has uncovered evidence of the new magazine service built into the Apple News app. So we know that’s coming.
Apple rushes to add HBO and Showtime to streaming service
- According to Bloomberg, Apple is hammering out the final details of agreements to add movies and TV shows from HBO, Showtime, Starz and others.
- The negotiations allegedly would result in these shows appearing side-by-side with Apple’s own content, with partners getting a share of watchers’ subscription fees.
- Apparently third-party content is badly needed for the streaming app because Apple’s content is still in development and won’t be ready till the end of the year.
Apple News magazine service details revealed by latest macOS beta
- After digging into the latest macOS 10.14.4 beta, developer Troughton-Smith found some new references that confirm the magazine subscription service is on the way. Even better, Apple’s code provides some new details about it that we didn’t know.
Preorder Leander’s new book about Tim Cook
Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level comes out next month. Order yours now so you can get it before everyone else.
Buy from: Amazon
