Apple event - As it happened: Steven Spielberg among celebrities launching TV streaming, new credit card and magazine subscription services

Apple unveils Apple News+

Apple has launched a whole host of new services, intended to make more money from the people who have already bought its products.

In what was hailed as one of the most significant Apple events in years, the company did not reveal new products or software but instead a range of premium services. Together, they represent new ways to pay for news subscriptions, TV and games – as well as a new way to pay for anything, with a brand new titanium credit card.

The highlight of the new announcements was Apple TV+, a new streaming service built to compete with offerings like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. During the event, it invited many of the world's biggest stars and directors on stage to talk about the new shows, on which Apple is thought to have spent billions of dollars.

But it said it would bring a similar, paid-for and ad-free subscription service, for news and for games. All will allow people to pay a monthly fee for unlimited access to that content.

Apple tried to link the various announcements together through references to its corporate principles: stressing a focus on privacy, quality, and the ways that the various products are built to work with the company's hardware and software.

But the different announcements were also linked together in the fact that few details were announced about any of them. Apple only revealed the cost and release date of one of the new products, and gave little information about how many of them will work.

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Key Points

• Apple announces subscribtion news and magazine service called Apple News+
• A new titanium credit card called Apple Card aims to transform Apple Pay

[25 March 2019 18:32 · Andrew Griffin]

[25 March 2019 18:33 · anthony.cuthbertson]

They've made a show called Little Voices about musicians. Still no trailers or clips but Bareilles is singing the theme song.

[25 March 2019 18:37 · anthony.cuthbertson]

It gives a moment to pause on the enormity of Apple's task here. The tech giant is entering an extremely crowded industry, dominated by the likes of Amazon and Netflix. And that's not all. Luke Bozeat, COO at MediaCom UK, tells The Independent, Apple TV+ is a "big risk" for the iPhone maker.

Apple’s new streaming service come hot on the heels of other huge companies announcing similar platforms in a battle for more eyeballs, for longer. In short, it’s not just Netflix that Apple is competing against; ITV and BBC invested in BritBox last month, Snap Originals introduced TV-like programming on mobile and Disney+ will capitalise on a traditionally younger audience. As Apple looks to pour money in the video streaming market – and is in a strong position to do so – it will have to invest in original content that sets it apart from the plethora of choice available from both current and upcoming platforms.

However, original content might not be enough of a differentiator to persuade consumers to sign up. With so much investment from a company not known for content creation, this is a big risk, and one that will take time to understand the audience’s needs and wants. Having a huge user base already helps, but a strategy based on content partnerships with Hollywood directors and primetime platforms like HBO might yet be another long-term boon for the company. In a battle to create and host the best TV shows and films in town – and with so much content to choose from – the consumer may prove to be the ultimate winner here.

[25 March 2019 18:38 · Andrew Griffin]

[25 March 2019 18:39 · anthony.cuthbertson]

Apple TV+ will be out in the Autumn.

Tim Cook is back on stage to share "one more remarkable storyteller".

[25 March 2019 18:40 · anthony.cuthbertson]

Another teaser video to introduce...

[25 March 2019 18:40 · anthony.cuthbertson]

Oprah Winfrey!

[25 March 2019 18:41 · Andrew Griffin]

(I really thought that was going to conclude with a message about how the most important, unheard voice is... yours. But as Anthony says, it's Oprah's.)

[25 March 2019 18:41 · anthony.cuthbertson]

Perhaps the biggest cheer of the event, as the talk show host is greeted with a standing ovation.

[25 March 2019 18:41 · Andrew Griffin]