Following reports of Apple TV’s September relaunch with its new, upgraded system, Apple is now reportedly planning to begin independent production of its own independent movies and shows, as Netflix and Amazon have been doing over the past year or two. Since Apple has had original movies on iTunes before, is this the time to move into Netflix’s space?
Apple has been known to make big moves, and they certainly have the capital to follow through. The real question is how the market will bear out towards yet another online streaming service, and this one largely tethered into the iOS ecosystem. Apple is betting that there are a lot of fans ready to make that commitment if they choose to pursue a subscription model-- and the success of iTunes may well prove them right. Still, this isn’t iTunes but a very crowded online entertainment space. Without even some specifics of what they’re planning, we have precious few indicators of how it would succeed.
VERDICT: Apple movies and TV shows? Sure. The real question is: shouldn’t the service be popular first? We just have no idea what the plan is in this case.
