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Apple TV+ was an Unusual Launch for Apple
Why Apple executives were ’thrilled’ anyway
Just one week after the launch of TV+, Apple’s much-anticipated streaming service, the company publicly announced that the remaining three of its four marquee launch shows (SEE, For All Mankind, and Dickinson) had been renewed for second seasons. The fourth, The Morning Show, had already been slated to run for two seasons. Apple executives were apparently “thrilled” with the launch, while critics and consumers seemed to have mixed reactions to both the content and the user interface. One thing is for certain though: Apple TV+ was an atypical launch for a company known for blockbuster product launches.
Historically, Apple’s entrance into new categories has been accompanied by step-function improvements in products or user experiences, innovations so revolutionary that they disrupted entire industries. The iPod and iTunes store not only introduced intuitive hardware and software, but also unbundled individual songs from albums for the first time, allowing consumers to purchase only the tracks they wanted for just $0.99. The iPhone revolutionized not only the telecom industry, but the world. Apple TV+, on the other hand, didn’t improve either the content or the user experience available to consumers on other streaming platforms. At least not yet.
Television represents a category that Apple has reportedly been anxious to enter for over a decade. Steve Jobs wanted to create an integrated television set, and Apple executives have been meeting with Hollywood executives for years in an attempt to find their entrance to the market, which at one point included partnerships with cable companies to offer live TV. All the way back in 2012, Tim Cook called the TV market “an area of intense interest,” before explaining “I don’t think Apple has to own a content business... ”
