Clearly wanting a piece of the streaming platforms action, technology behemoth Apple released its own Apple TV Plus streaming service in late 2019. At launch, Apple TV Plus didn’t offer much in the way of competition to the well-established giants of Netflix, Stan and Disney Plus, but since its inception, Apple has slowly but surely been adding more and more appealing and enthralling content.
So, what is Apple TV Plus, what content can you watch, how can you watch it and, perhaps most importantly, how much does Apple TV Plus cost? Read on to find out.
What is Apple TV Plus?
Apple TV+ is a streaming platform from technology giant, Apple. Launched on November 1 2019, Apple fully intends its streaming service to be a genuine rival to the likes of Netflix et al. Of course, Apple tends to employ forceful tactics to get its way, and, while we admit the content offering of Apple TV Plus has improved since it launched, we still wouldn’t call it a genuine rival.
Chief among the reasons for that, is that Apple TV Plus only offers films and TV shows that fall under the Apple Originals banner. By this, we mean that the only content you can watch is content created and developed by Apple. There is no extensive library of classic films and TV shows that you can find on rival services.
Not that Apple seems to care about that, of course. The Californian company has slowly but surely been investing more and more money into the Apple TV Plus platform, and the results are certainly starting to pay off.
Indeed, the majority of Apple Originals have been critically acclaimed and are extremely enjoyable. Apple TV Plus is home to the likes of the multi-award-winning comedy series Ted Lasso, Morning Wars, starring Jennifer Aniston and Reece Witherspoon, Defending Jacob, Oscar-winning Coda and Greyhound, for instance – meaning Apple TV+ is well worth having if you’re a cinephile.
Elaborating on the fact Apple TV Plus is a great option for those who really do love their movies, the streaming service also offers up to 4K Ultra HD streaming for the very best in video quality, and you can also benefit from Dolby Atmos. You will need compatible hardware to be able to revel in the enveloping sound format, but if you do, you really can have a cinema-like experience at home.
How much is Apple TV Plus in Australia?
There are various ways to subscribe to Apple TV Plus in Australia, and so while you may have your assumptions that it will be expensive because it’s from Apple, it might actually be more affordable than you think.
Anyone can sign up to Apple TV Plus for $7.99/month, but Apple also offers a number of other avenues that can give you either a limited free period of use, or a completely free subscription as an add-on.
The various subscription options for Apple TV+ include:
- Standalone subscription: $7.99 a month.
- 3 months free if you buy a new iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac or Apple TV device. Switches
- Included as part of an Apple One subscription for $19.95/month
- Free with an Apple Music Student subscription plan
Apple TV Plus free trial
If you’re tempted by the idea of Apple TV Plus but don’t want to sign-up to a new subscription immediately, then Apple does offer a 7-day free trial, for new customers, to take the streaming service for a full spin.
Apple TV Plus features
Say what you will about Apple, but the Apple TV Plus offering does have actually much to excite people who really do love watching movies and TV shows at home. Most notably, Apple TV Plus supports 4K Ultra HD streaming, and this is included in the $7.99/month subscription fee. Some other streaming services, such as Netflix, will charge you extra to unlock this higher-quality video format.
And, unlike virtually very other streaming service in existence that limits you to the number of screens you can watch content on simultaneously, Apple TV Plus can be streamed on up to 6 separate screens or devices at any one time. Finally, you can also download the vast majority of Apple TV Plus content for offline viewing.
Something else that can make Apple TV Plus appealing is that, because Apple produces and distributes all the content available on it, the same content is available in every country where Apple TV Plus is available. Other streaming services can often succumb to licensing restrictions, so what your friends in the United States may be able to watch on their Netflix account, you won’t be able to watch in Australia.
What devices can I use to watch Apple TV+?
Obviously, Apple TV Plus is available natively on Apple devices (the Apple TV Plus app comes pre-installed on new Apple devices). But, you can also access Apple TV Plus on a few other third-party devices too. Apple has said it does plan to further increase the availability and compatibility of the app with more and more devices, to increase its exposure.
Apple TV Plus can be easily accessed from a range of devices, including:
- Apple TV media-streaming boxes (3rd generation box required as a minimum)
- iPhones
- iPads
- Macs
- Amazon Fire TVs
- Google TV/Smart TVs running the Android TV operating system
- Select TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio, Panasonic and Hisense
- PCs
- PlayStation 4, PlayStation5
- Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
A full list of supported devices can be found on the Apple website.
What are some of the best Apple TV Plus shows?
It’s all well and good telling you how much Apple TV Plus costs and how you can access it, but what about some content recommendations? Fortunately, there is plenty to suggest.
Because of Apple’s strong financial positioning, the technology giant is able to attract some serious star power and is now churning out new content at a high rate, so much so, that a new Apple Original is added to the service every month. Standout TV shows include:
- Ted Lasso (Jason Sudekis, Hannah Waddingham)
- See (Jason Mamoa, Alfre Woodward)
- The Morning Show (Jennifer Aniston, Reece Witherspoon, Steve Carell)
- Severance (Adam Scott, dir. Ben Stiller)
- Physical (Rose Byrne)
As for Apple TV Plus movies, the lineup is just as impressive. Standout movies include:
- CODA (Emilia Jones, Eugenio Dubez)
- On The Rocks (Bill Murray, Rashida Jones)
- Palmer (Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple)
- The Tragedy of Macbeth (Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, dir. Joel Coen)
- Finch (Tom Hanks, Caleb Landry Jones)
In summary, then, Apple TV Plus might not necessarily be a replacement for any other streaming services in your life, but if you can afford an extra $7.99 a month, then it will certainly make a worthwhile additions for some genuinely blockbuster content.