Samsung’s 2018 and 2019 range of televisions will be able to access and play your iTunes movie and TV show library, the company has announced. You’ll also be able to buy and rent content from iTunes directly from the TV. The content will be available through a dedicated app which will debut exclusively on Samsung’s TVs. The TVs will also include support for AirPlay 2, Apple’s wireless streaming standard.
The iTunes Movies and TV Shows app, which will be available in 100 countries on both Samsung’s 2019 TVs as well as its 2018 models (after a firmware update), marks the first time Apple has allowed third-party devices to access its video library outside of Windows PCs. It could also be a prelude to a video streaming service that Apple is currently rumored to be working on — which is tellingly also reported to be coming to 100 countries.
Apple tells The Verge that Samsung’s smart TV ad-tracking features cannot track viewing usage within the iTunes Movies and TV Shows app, in another example of Apple’s focus on privacy.
While Apple Music currently competes with the likes of Spotify, the rumored streaming service will have Netflix in its sights. It will reportedly offer an all-you-can-eat model of streamed content for a single monthly subscription. Apple even appears to be ramping up its efforts to produce original video programming similar to Netflix’s Originals.
Meanwhile, AirPlay 2 support will be available in 190 countries and will allow content such as videos, photos, music and podcasts, to be streamed from Apple devices directly to Samsung’s televisions. It will reportedly be joined by Google Assistant on the company’s 2019 televisions.
Commenting on the announcement, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue said, “We look forward to bringing the iTunes and AirPlay 2 experience to even more customers around the world through Samsung Smart TVs, so iPhone, iPad and Mac users have yet another way to enjoy all their favorite content on the biggest screen in their home.”
Update, 3:28PM ET: Added information about Samsung Smart TVs being unable to track usage inside of iTunes.
Comments
Can someone please explain what is happening at Apple right now? Are they shifting business models? I don’t understand any of this.
By AJduckfan on 01.06.19 12:47pm
Yes Apple sees services as the future
By Remy149 on 01.06.19 12:55pm
You don’t need a deal with the cable-box manufacturers when you have one with the TV manufacturers.
By d0mth0ma5 on 01.06.19 2:16pm
Wich still needs tô come a long way. Services provided by Apple are just functional, at best. Apple Music, Ibooks, News, iCloud, Notes and Calendar, Maps and itunes store range from Very Good but with many on par competitors ( Apple Music and itunes) to dreadful (maps) and totally forgetful (ibooks). Im on Android and there arent a single Apple service I miss, I tried using Apple Music for some months but moved back to Spotify.
Apple will have a really hard time competing for the sweet subscription money outside their own walled Garden.
By Rodolfo Oliveira on 01.06.19 3:30pm
I own around 100 movies on iTunes. This is since 2007 or so. We watch them frequently, with kids in the house. They can be played from two different Apple TV boxes, two different iPhones, and an iPad. We also have Netflix, but the content there changes constantly. If I want to always have access to say, Home Alone, or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, the content on iTunes is a good option. With family sharing, other family members can access our library through their Apple ID’s too. So, now this is a thing, when the grand parents get a new TV if they get a Samsung they can also access our library without having to buy an overpriced Apple TV box. They don’t need the App Store and games on there.
As for services, I love iCloud Drive Desktop & Documents sync – and iCloud Photo Library. We have nearly a 1TB in iCloud and until recently in Australia (when google matched it) Apple was $10 per month cheaper for 2TB than Google. More importantly, all files appear on all devices, but my desktop with lots of space is set to store all originals, and the iPhone iPad and MacBook are set to optimise storage. So even though some of these have as little as 256GB storage, they have spent of storage free and can access the 650GB photo library and all documents easily. Microsoft has only JUST added this option to OneDrive, I’ve had it for years. Yes there are ways Apple’s services are behind, but as with most things in life, it’s not all black and white. Can I share a folder with someone else? No. For that I must use DropBox. But I’d rather them nail the security aspect well before implementing that. But it’s over due.
By darwiniandude on 01.06.19 4:15pm
Off topic question (sort of)
Are you able to synch your iPhone backup’s (contacts etc.) to Google Drive or One Drive using a windows device?
I have been racking my brain trying to get it to work for some family members but the only solutions seem to be hack jobs.
By K-C-B on 01.07.19 5:23pm
Drive backup and Sync for Windows and set it to backup the iTunes folder. Turn iCloud backup off.
By HotRod92 on 01.08.19 1:28am
Okay, that was the best option I could find as well. I am surprised it’s so clunky all things considered.
By K-C-B on 01.08.19 6:05pm
Maps is good now. Hasn’t been been bad since iOS 10.
By Kyleh on 01.06.19 5:22pm
There aren’t really many competitors that are on the same footing as the iTunes store with regards to quality. No competitor has all of the same quality of services in one place. Some have the individual pieces, but none have all of them.
By xenon on 01.06.19 6:00pm
The only thing google maps does better is search , everything else , Apple maps is superior.
By chadsmo on 01.06.19 9:36pm
A little bit of strategy, a little bit of diversity, and a little bit of panic – but mostly business as usual.
By NewWorldOrder on 01.06.19 12:57pm
This isn’t panic. This deal must have been in the works for a long time. I suspect they did this rather than produce their own TV – probably because neither LG nor Samsung would make it for them.
Will they put Samsung TVs in the Apple Store?
By JFitzgerald on 01.06.19 2:40pm
The "success" of the HomePod likely helped this decision along. We may see a different Apple this year.
By NewWorldOrder on 01.06.19 2:57pm
Apple will just make a HomePod mini or HomePod Nano the same as they did with
IPods.
By Kyleh on 01.06.19 5:25pm
I’m not sure what you’re trying to say… that LG/Samsung won’t sell Apple the panels to make their own TV? that seems unlikely honestly.
By BB-8 on 01.06.19 4:11pm
And in case it’s not obvious, this has nothing to do with the market correction or the drop in Apple’s shares. Again – timing makes that impossible.
By JFitzgerald on 01.06.19 2:42pm
Apple was overvalued for a short-time, that’s why the share price dropped and corrected.
By NewWorldOrder on 01.06.19 2:58pm
That’s one view. At a closing PE of 12.45 I think it’s undervalued now. Which is why I bought 200 shares Friday.
By JFitzgerald on 01.06.19 5:30pm
I don’t think it’s a bad shout actually, obviously it swings up and down but it’s definitely nearer where it should have been albeit a bit low now with the typical overreaction from the market.
By NewWorldOrder on 01.06.19 5:46pm
Consider:
12.45 – Apple P/E ratio
41.98 – Microsoft P/E ratio
If Apple were trading at Microsoft’s PE. The stock price would be at $500, not $148.
Is Microsoft’s earnings growth outlook really 3.4x better than Apple’s? Personally I don’t think so. I’ve looked at Microsoft as well and I think the two companies PEs should be a lot closer.
Apple’s PE is half of Costco, and Apple is creating new revenue at the rate of a new Fortune 100 company each year. Way too low. Market is way over-reacting.
By JFitzgerald on 01.07.19 12:49am
Absolutely correct. Very astute. But people don’t understand Apple. No one else currently has continuity between phone, wrist, car, laptop, tablet, desktop and TV.
By darwiniandude on 01.07.19 4:16am
I guess my point is that once experienced this way, I have little desire to swap out one of those devices just because it’s a cheaper laptop with a faster CPU from someone else.
By darwiniandude on 01.07.19 4:17am
If you consider how diverse their offerings and income is, and how unlikely to be destabilized they are because of that, as well as the higher potential for growth because of that, then I would say they are more lucrative as an investment. Perhaps not that much better, but better nonetheless. I wouldn’t choose one or the other, but bet on both.
By NewWorldOrder on 01.07.19 5:50am
They’re moving to something like Microsoft, creating their own hardware and software, but selling services for other devices.
By pandab on 01.06.19 12:58pm