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As it happenedended

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

Andrew Griffin,Anthony Cuthbertson
Monday 25 March 2019 19:44 GMT
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Apple unveils Apple News+

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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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He'll be starring in a post-apocalyptic show, See, in which the human race is almost all but wiped out. Anyone left is blind. Sounds intriguing.

anthony.cuthbertson25 March 2019 18:21

Andrew Griffin25 March 2019 18:21

It's worth noting that not a single clip or trailer has been shown for any of these new shows.

anthony.cuthbertson25 March 2019 18:22

Silicon Valley star Kumail Nanjiani takes to the stage, taking a break from mocking the tech industry to announce a new show? Maybe? He's spending the first few minutes telling his life story.

anthony.cuthbertson25 March 2019 18:23

Ah, here it is."Little America focuses on human stories that feature immigrants," he says.

anthony.cuthbertson25 March 2019 18:25

Andrew Griffin25 March 2019 18:27

Big Bird is on stage!

anthony.cuthbertson25 March 2019 18:30

Andrew Griffin25 March 2019 18:31

The Sesame Street star is going to teach kids how to code through Apple TV+.

anthony.cuthbertson25 March 2019 18:31

The merry-go-round of stars continues as J.J. Abrams and Sara Bareilles come up on stage.

anthony.cuthbertson25 March 2019 18:32

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