Apple has confirmed rumours it will be holding an event at its campus in California later this month.
Selected invitations went out with the tagline ‘it’s show time’ underneath an old-timey movie countdown sequence.
The event will be held on March 25 at the Steve Jobs Theater on Apple’s Apple Park campus. The event is scheduled to begin at 10am Pacific time which corresponds to 5pm here in the UK.
Many have been speculating that Apple will be focusing on a new TV subscription service at the event, potentially to compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Apple Event, March 25, 2019. 10am PDT. Steve Jobs Theater, Cupertino California.
It’s show time! pic.twitter.com/b0IhYj7GHs
— Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) March 11, 2019
The service has been in the pipeline for the last few years with Apple setting aside $1 billion in funding in 2017 to secure and produce its own original content. Apple is said to be avoiding edgy content in favour of family friendly material.
The move is believed to come as a result of the fragmentation of streaming services. It’s possible to rent or buy movies and TV shows through iTunes but the success of Netflix and Amazon Prime has shifted the goalposts. What’s more, Disney is preparing to launch a streaming service of its own later this year called Disney+.
I was thinking about some of the possible name of the upcoming Apple streaming service. I came up with them. What do you guys think? pic.twitter.com/jumOhQldXc
— Apple Predictions (@AppleRumors4) March 11, 2019
As well as announcing new TV streaming plans, some have suggested Apple will also take the wraps off a new update to Apple News. This will be an integrated news service that offers books and magazines for a single subscription price. It’s similar to what Amazon does with its Prime Reading service.
Despite persistent rumours of new hardware including updated AirPods and a brand new iPad mini, we’re not banking on a big reveal at this event.
That’s not to say they won’t appear, just that they likely won’t be the focus. Apple may trot them out towards the end of the event as a kind of afterthought.
Either way, the event will be livestreamed from start to finish so Apple fans will be able to tune in and find out what’s been going on.
Share this with