Right now, Apple TV+ is mostly an interesting idea… Don’t get me wrong — what we’ve seen so far looks amazing, but who signs up to pay for something that offers only a handful of shows?
That’s why Apple’s offer, announced yesterday, to give it to everyone who buys a new iPhone, iPad, or Mac is so brilliant… To win the streaming war, you need two things: content and an audience… Right now, Apple has neither…
Apple will probably sell 65 million to 75 million iPhones in just the holiday quarter alone. It’s doubtful that everyone who buys one will sign up for Apple TV+, but that’s just iPhones. And let’s say that half of them take Apple up on the offer of a free year. Those 37 million subscribers would make Apple TV+ the second-largest streaming service, with almost 36 percent more subscribers than Hulu’s 28 million… And if Apple does have those hits, it’ll be much easier for people to simply continue their subscription at $4.99 a month, which is half the price of Netflix, and a little less than Disney+. That could make it very painful to cancel for those who grow to love [exclusive series on Apple TV+]
MacDailyNews Take: Who said Apple’s strategy is to beat Netflix?
Apple strategy is to make owning and upgrading iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TVs, Apple Watches, etc. as irresistible as possible. The more people with iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TVs, Apple Watches, etc., the more Apple services to which they subscribe. Apple TV+ is part of that strategy. “Beating Netflix” is not a requirement nor it is Apple’s strategic goal.