Tucked inside a mostly benign press release about the upcoming streaming availability of Joseph Kosinski’s recent feature “F1,” some other news: don’t call it Apple TV+ anymore. It’s now, per a Monday morning press release, “simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity.”
What that vibrant new identity is actually beyond “easier to remember,” it’s currently unclear. Head on over to the streamer’s official website, and everything is still branded “Apple TV+.” For now, the same is still true of the app (at least, on this reporter’s iPhone). We can sense an app update in the offing, and fast.
Also a question? What this means for Apple’s other Apple TV, the company’s physical streaming box, which connects to a television to provide access to streaming apps and services. Call it the Apple Box, and be done with it.
Apple TV+, as it was then known, launched on November 1, 2019 as the tech giant’s very first foray into the streaming market. Launch day included the debut of “The Morning Show,” as well as the Jason Momoa-led “See” and Hailee Steinfeld in “Dickinson.” Later that year, the fledgling streamer also got into the film biz, rolling out films like “Hala” and “The Elephant Queen.”
Along the way, the streamer has enjoyed some serious smash hits on the TV side (like recent winner “The Studio,” which recently won 22 Emmys, and enduring fave “Severance”). Movies remain top of mind, too, from the massive “F1” to films from some of Hollywood’s biggest names, like Spike Lee and Paul Greengrass, just to name some recent titles. In 2022, “CODA” won Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards, which made Apple the first streaming service to win the award.
Coming up next: movies like “The Family Plan 2,” “Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost,” “Come See Me in the Good Light,” and series like “Plurbius.” Oh, and for “F1” fans: the Brad Pitt-starring actioner will start streaming on Apple TV (no plus!) on Friday, December 12.
Earlier this year, rival streamer HBO Max similarly trotted out a new (in this case, old) name change, reverting back to its original moniker after trying to make a go out of just “Max” for nearly two years. Add the HBO, drop the +, whatever it is, it’s all a bit cleaner.