Apple’s streaming service, TV+ hasn’t performed as well as the company had hoped, and it’s now leaving no stone unturned to lure more subscribers. For its next trick, Bloomberg reports, Apple could bring interactive, augmented reality content for its original TV shows.
Apple is reportedly developing a new feature for TV+ that will let you superimpose characters or objects from select shows into your surroundings through your iPhone or iPad camera. For instance, while watching the show, For All Mankind, Apple might offer an option to project a virtual lunar rover in front of you via augmented reality.
While originally slated to arrive later this year, sources tell Bloomberg Apple could debut bonus augmented reality content for shows sometime in 2021.
We’ve reached out to Apple for confirmation and we’ll update the story when we hear back.
Augmented reality has been a key focus area for Apple and therefore, it makes sense for the company to incorporate it into its services as well. Apple has built special lidar sensors into the latest iPads for better augmented reality experiences and they’re expected to be one of the highlights of the next line of iPhones. It’s also said to be working on a smart, mixed reality headset that could launch by 2022.
In addition, AR isn’t the only interactive content Apple may be planning for TV+. An earlier Bloomberg report claimed the Cupertino, California-based company will soon also release original podcasts that will feature bonus commentary and behind-the-scenes tidbits. Further, it’s developing a series of new subscription plans called Apple One for offering services such as Apple News and Apple Music in bundles at a lower monthly price.
Whether these moves enable Apple to better rival its competitors remains to be seen. Earlier this year, veteran analyst, Toni Sacconaghi said Apple TV+ may be “failing to resonate with customers.”
Apple isn’t the first video streaming host that has turned to interactive content for drawing interest. Netflix is actively investing in choose-your-own-adventure style shows that allow you to pick from multiple narratives and decide the characters’ fates.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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