Apple TV Plus was really inevitable. With Netflix and HBO producing their own content and retail giant Amazon getting into the thick of things, it was impossible for Apple to stay on the sidelines for long. Buzz around Apple's streaming service has been hard to come by, though, as the launch lineup is bland compared to the deluge of hit shows and movies that hit Disney Plus shortly after .Apple's initial launch. . Although he managed to win back some with hits like Ted Lasso. Regardless, Apple TV Plus is still a great time for a company that is gradually moving towards content services rather than just hardware versions like the iPhone and iPad, and this Apple TV Plus review will take a deeper look at how it works, design, and what you should wear. Tempted to sign up for a seven-day free trial? This is what you need to know.
- Apple TV 4K at Best Buy for € 179.99
UPDATE: A new streaming device has arrived from Apple, with the 4 Apple TV 2021K. The new device adds a revamped Siri remote and high frame rate capability, as well as color grading functionality across compatible iPhones . For our review of the Apple TV Plus streaming service, read on below...
Apple TV Plus UI and layout
The first thing to know is that Apple TV Plus is an extension of the existing Apple TV app. This means that if you already have access to the Apple TV app through a compatible device, you also have access to Apple TV Plus. The Apple TV app can be found on Samsung TVs (2018/2019), Roku TV platform and Roku streaming devices, Amazon Fire TV Stick and of course the iOS ecosystem i.e. your iPhone, iPad, Macbook or Apple TV. HD / Apple TV 4K.
(Image credit: Apple) Apple TV Plus basically works as a subset of this app, with a drop-down banner in the Watch Now tab, below the "Continue" and "What to Watch" lines. It certainly ranks high compared to other media featured on the platform; Of course, Apple would rather you see their own shows than licensed content, though we'd prefer there to be a dedicated tab at the top of the app for easy navigation. There's also a difficult mix between TV series and movies already in the app, paid for on a case-by-case basis, and Apple's own programming. If you scroll down far enough in the Watch Now tab, you'll even find Apple TV Plus repeat shows in various places and categories, and we have a feeling Apple hasn't quite figured out where they want the content to be. I tried to hide the small amount of release content by merging the two libraries. Repetition aside, the Apple TV app's UI is very clean, while Apple TV Plus shows have a small bookmark to indicate the different pricing models and the ability to queue on the home page in the "To be continued" list. However, if you click on the "channel" for Apple TV Plus, the most important text is the individual episode titles, rather than the show titles, which isn't the most intuitive layout choice.
(Image credit: TechRadar) You get the same cast and crew prominence on the show's title pages as the rest of the app, with links to related content just above. Unlike Netflix's strategy of funneling users to content with as few clicks as possible, the Apple TV app is more content to show you relevant news and shows and make traveling a more thoughtful experience. A neat touch in the app is the ability to customize the appearance of subtitles, as well as add an audio description for some shows, though to see the options while the episode is playing, you'll need to tap on the remote, which isn't the case. . immediately apparent. There's a slightly different interface between TVs, browsers, and mobiles, as you'd expect. The advantage of the browser is that you can bookmark the page and go straight to the Apple TV Plus content, rather than having to fiddle with the larger app, but otherwise the differences are largely cosmetic.
Apple TV Plus content library
(Image credit: Apple) But what about the programs themselves? Reviews have been received for several of the biggest titles now available on the service, which you can read in our roundup of Apple TV Plus reviews here. Notable titles include The Morning Show, the epic Jason Momoa See, Helpsters, the Sesame Street spin-off, Teen Fantasy Ghostwriters, the Hailee Steinfeld biopic Emily Dickinson, and the NASA drama For All Mankind. There's enough to go through in a few nights, but if just one of these shows appeals to you, there's not much else to keep your membership going beyond the seven-day free trial. Suffice to say, this is a small introductory offering, as Apple has focused on a few titles rather than going for long content while compromising on quality across the board. And while nothing here seems like a hopeless flop, there's really nothing that makes an Apple TV Plus subscription a necessity, the way Stranger Things and Bojack Horseman do for Netflix, Good Omens and The Boys do on Amazon Prime. Video or The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu. . With Disney Plus launching just a fortnight after Apple TV Plus, comparisons of their respective libraries are also inevitable. But with the former's portfolio comprising classic Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel movies, it's hard to give the same enthusiasm to Apple's offering.
Apple TV Plus display quality
(Image credit: Apple) The good news is that Apple TV Plus supports 4K and HDR streaming and helpfully lists this information on every show page, unlike Netflix, which waits for you to watch a episode to tell you. However, not all of the service uses these high-end visual standards, and naturally you'll need an HDR-capable 4K TV to use them. However, we found the experience of streaming over our home Wi-Fi network to be seamless, with no noticeable issues with frame rates and fast buffering, though this can vary depending on the strength of your internet connection. There's an option to "reduce shake" in the Apple TV app's settings, to help with frame rate jerks, though we never found it necessary in our usage tests.
Verdict
(Image credit: TechRadar) The Apple TV streaming service seems a bit of an afterthought; a lazy game in a market already full of competitive platforms. Apple's usual strategy of releasing the best version of a product after having had a chance to study the market and elegantly iterate hasn't fully translated into its content offering. Here, and it is difficult to recommend the service on the basis of any individual. Show. There's nothing particularly wrong with Apple TV Plus, but not much either, and it certainly doesn't have the wherewithal to replace anything currently on the market. In a streaming landscape filled with big, valuable platforms, this might be the first time we've seen of a player this big sitting so firmly as a secondary (or even tertiary) subscription.
