Apple announces first original TV series, to explore app ecosytem
Apple announced on Thursday its first original TV series, and it will explore the mobile phone app ecosystem the company helped create just a few years ago.
Apple has signed up big names for the geeky production exploring the App Store, including executive producers Ben Silverman and musician Will.i.am. The series is said to be unscripted, and Apple hasn't released a date the show will air or who it will star.
"We can really tell their stories as we explore how apps are developed and created and incubated," Silverman said.
This is a new move for Apple and was rumored for months. Original content could be a valuable addition to Apple's rumored TV service and could help the company differentiate itself in the crowded streaming market as it looks to build out its Internet services division.
"We've seen some really, truly inspiring and incredible stories from our developers in what they've done, where they come from, how they started and the problems they've solved," Eddy Cue, who oversee iTunes and Apple Music at Apple, said on Thursday.
It's odd Apple didn't decide to announce the series during its media event earlier this week, along with its Apple Music partnership with Vice to stream "The Score," a six-episode series exploring local music scenes around the world.
Silverman, who was key in the hit TV show "The Office", brought the idea to Apple, according to the New York Times.