Rumored Netflix for Games Subscription Service Model at Apple Event

Apple may demo a Netflix for Games subscription model at its March 25th event

Rumors have been floating that Apple will be sharing a “Netflix for Games” subscription model at its upcoming event this Monday, March 25th since Bloomberg reported that Apple may launch a gaming subscription service similar to its Apple News and Video subscription models. The new service is not expected to compete with Google’s new Stadia, but focus on the iPhone and iPad, while offering bundle options from different developers for a monthly fee.

The service would be focused on paid game apps with the service fee distributed according to the time spent by players on each game. Earlier this week, Apple quietly unveiled updated versions of its AirPods, iMacs, iMac Pros, iPad Minis and a new iPad Air.

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All the New Original TV Shows Apple Is Developing - Part 2

Learn more about the original TV shows and movies that Apple is expected to produce and launch. See our prior coverage of 24 shows in Part 1.

Image via Apple

24. June 2019: Sesame Workshop Content for Kids

Image via Sesame Workshop

According to Variety, Apple is reporting developing content with Sesame Workshop consisting of a live-action, animated, and puppet series, which is different from the original "Sesame Street" that belongs to HBO and PBS.

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26. June 2018: “You Think It, I'll Say It”

Image of Kristen Wiig

Popular comedian Kristen Wiig initially stars in this new ten-episode TV show based on Curtis Sittenfield's short story collection. Due to a scheduling conflict however with Wiig’s appearance in "Wonder Woman 1984," where she stars as Cheetah, the villain in the movie, Wiig had to pull out, according to Variety. Instead, Wiig will executive produce future episodes while Apple continues to produce the show with Colleen McGuinness as creator and showrunner, and Sittenfield as consulting producer.

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27. June 2018: 'Little America' Series

Image of Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon

Apple has ordered an immigrant anthology series titled "Little America," written and produced by Academy Award-nominated screenwriters Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, known for their work on "The Big Sick," along with Alan Yang from "Master of None" and Lee Eisenberg from "The Office,” according to The Wrap. 

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28. June 2018: Oprah Winfrey

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Apple and popular TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey have signed on to work together to "create original programs that embrace her incomparable ability to connect with audiences around the world." 

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29. May 2018: “Little Voices”

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J.J. Abrams, the director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the newer Star Trek series is producing the show along with musician Sara Bareilles, according to Variety. The ten-episode show is a "love letter to the diverse musicality of New York which explores the universal journey of finding your authentic voice in your early 20s." Jessie Nelson, known for her work on he musical "Waitress," with film credits such as "I Am Sam" and "Corrina, Corrina,” is acting as show runner and director. The show falls under the umbrella of Abrams' Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

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30. May 2018: “Shantaram”

Image of the novel Shantaram

The series is based on the novel of the same name by Gregory David Robert that chronicles the escape of a prisoner from Australia who ends up involved in the Bombay underworld. Eric Warren Singer of "American Hustle” and David Manson, known for shows like "House of Cards" and "Big Love," are executive producers. Anonymous Content and Paramount Television, according to Variety.

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31. May 2018: “Are You Sleeping”

Image of Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer known for her performance in “The Help,” star as a reporter, Poppy Parnell for the series that is based on the Kathleen Barber novel of the same name. The show is essentially a true crime drama involving podcasts of unsolved convictions similar to the popular podcast “Serial.” Reese Witherspoon, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Kristen Campo will be executive producers. Lizzy Caplan, Ron Cephas Jones, Elizabeth Perkins, Mekhi Phifer, Michael Beach, Tracie Thoms, Haneefah Wood and Aaron Paul, are expected to play compelling characters in the show, according to Variety.

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33. March 2018: Central Park

Image of Central Park show

One of the most anticipated shows is “Central Park,” Apple’s first animated series, created by Loren Bouchard known for "Bob's Burgers" and 20th Century Fox Television. The show is a musical tale about a family of caretakers that save Central Park. The show stars Leslie Odom, Jr., Stanely Tucci and Kristen Bell. Loren Bouchard, Josh Gad and Nora Smith serve as the show’s writers.

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34. Jan 2018: Untitled Damien Chazelle project

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Damien Chazelle is expected to work Jordan Horowitz and Fred Berger, all known for their work on “La La Land,” on the show but no details of the show storyline or cast is known yet.

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35. Jan 2018: “Home”

Finally, Apple is also expected to produce a docuseries titled "Home" about unusual homes and their inhabitants. The show is directed by Matt Tyrnauer, known for his film fashion designer Valentino Garavani in 2008 and is being produced by Altimeter Films, Time Inc. Productions, and Media Weaver Entertainment.

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Apple Debuts New iPad Air, 5th Gen iPad mini and Updated iMacs

Apple quietly released a slew of products this past week, indicating that the March 25th event will be product-free and more focused on subscriptions and its expected new video streaming platform.

Image via Apple

Updated iPad Air Offers Greater Performance and Options

Apple introduced a brand new iPad Air with a 10.5-inch design, enhanced performance up to 70 percent via the A12 Bionic chip with Apple’s Neural Engine and twice the graphics capability. The advanced Retina display with True Tone technology is almost 20 percent larger with over half a million more pixels.

Image via Apple

The new iPad Air retains some prior features such as Touch ID for biometric authentication, instead of Face ID; Lightning connection instead of the newer USB-C in use by the iPad Pro; and the 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, which has been disappearing from other products in Apple’s suite of hardware products. The cameras have also stayed the same with a front-facing 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera and a rear 8-megapixel camera with up to 1080 video capture. Battery life is expected to last a maximum of 10 hours of time.

Available in silver, gold and space gray finishes, the 7th-generation iPad Air starts at $499 for the 64-gigabyte WiFi model and is $629 for the WiFi + Cellular model. There is also a third configuration of 256-gigabyte available.

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Image via Apple

5th Generation iPad mini with Apple Pencil Support, New Retina display and A12 Bionic Chip

Apple launched an updated fifth generation version of its iPad mini with a 7.9 inch screen at the same $399 price tag as the prior model with Apple Pencil Support, a new updated Retina display panel and a powerful A12 Bionic chip. The A12 Bionic chip speeds up performance up to three times and graphics a whopping nine times faster. The latest Retina display technology with True Tone and wide color support, now offers 3 million pixel density (highest in any iPad) and is 25 percent more luminous.

The new iPad mini has a 7-megapixel front-facing camera for FaceTime HD and better selfies, and an 8-megapixel rear camera with better performance in low light and HD video recording. The latest version of the iPad mini also has the same high quality Wi-Fi performance and Gigabit‑class LTE found in the newest iPad Pro models.

Tim Cook, Apple CEO on Twitter

The new iPad mini is perfect for travel due to its compact size and is available in three colors - silver, space gray and gold. Pricing starts at $399 for the Wi-Fi model and $529 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Available as of March 18, the new iPad mini can be purchased on Apple’s website and will soon be available in stores and via resellers. An Apple Pencil can also be bought separately for $99.

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Image via Apple

Apple Updates its Popular iMac and iMac Pro Models for Greater Performance and Speed

Apple announced updated iMacs using Intel’s latest core processors, boosting up performance for all models. The 21.5-inch 4K iMac now has a 3.2GHz six-core 8th-gen Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz while the 27-inch 5K iMac has a 3.6GHz eight-core 9th-gen Core i9 with Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz.

Image via Apple

Image via Apple

The new iMacs are substantially more powerful with 60 percent faster performance for the new 21.5-inch iMac models and 2.4 times increased performance for the 27-inch iMac models, thus decreasing the gap between the standard iMac and the iMac Pro models. In addition, the new iMacs have up to 64GB of faster 2,666MHz DDR4 memory and up to 2TB of SSD storage. The standard 21.5 inch 4k iMac now has 32GB memory and 1TB SSD upgrade options.

The design has stayed the same with a similar look and feel and I/O ports - two Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB 3 ports, a SD card slot, a headphone jack, and Gigabit Ethernet.  The iMac models also have improved Radeon Pro Vega graphics options with Vega 20 for 21.5-inch models and Vega 48 for 27-inch models, similar to the MacBook Pro.

The new 21.5-inch 4K iMac models start at $1,299 while the new 27-inch 5K iMac models start at $1,799. Both models are available for purchase on Apple’s website now, and will be available in Apple Stores and resellers by next week.

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