Page 27 - iPhone Life Magazine - Spring 2020

in the High Castle, but in this show, Octavia Spencer looks promising. The
the Soviet Union had beaten the US
to the moon. However, as the creators
explained, that outcome caused the US
to abandon the Vietnam War early and
encourage women to enter the work-
force, including NASA. Who can say
which timeline is the dystopian one? It’s
a neat premise and I’m glad Apple TV
Plus gave the show a platform.
Oprah’s Book Club: Oprah may be the
queen of daytime talk, and her book
club drives the bestseller list, but it
remains to be seen if a serialized ver-
sion will do the same. After all, the big
bang from exposure on her broadcast
TV show hits a worldwide audience at
one time. But a streaming show, limited
to Apple users, with viewings spread
out over days may not have the same
impact.
Servant: Fans of M. Night Shyamalan’s
work will expect a twist in any drama
he creates, and Servant is no excep-
tion. The best way to describe this
series is as a mashup of The Twilight
Zone, Chucky, and Pet Cemetery. Un-
like The Sixth Sense and most of his
other work, the twists and turns need
to stretch out over an entire series, so it
will be interesting to see how he does
it.
Truth Be Told: This fi ctional drama star-
ring Academy Award-winning actress
show follows the form of a true crime PROS:
story, which is popular lately (think the
Serial podcast meets HBO’s True De-
tective), combining home video-style
footage with drama.
Kids will get some attention as well,
with two shows in particular. Helpsters
should remind viewers of Sesame
Street, because Jim Henson’s team is
behind it. Snoopy in Space is for fans of
Snoopy and Charlie Brown, but a couple
of franchises doesn’t match the vault at
Disney. Ghostwriter will appeal to the
the vein of Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, CONS:
young adult viewer who likes shows in
Goosebumps, and Lemony Snicket.
If your preference is for traditional
television, you might be better off with
Hulu or YouTube Pro, or a compilation
of individual network apps. The Apple
TV app can still act as a launching pad
for many such services regardless of
whether you subscribe to Apple TV Plus
or not. Personally, I am already hooked
on For All Mankind and I am awaiting
Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories
reboot so I expect to be a paying cus-
tomer after my trial ends.
VALUE FOR MONEY
Perhaps the biggest thing going for
Apple TV Plus, in the short term, is its
low cost of $4.99/month with a free
seven-day trial. Even better, the current
promotion gives away a free year of the
service to anyone who has purchased
an eligible Apple device on or after Sep-
tember 10, 2019 (Apple should recog-
nize if you’ve made a qualifi ed purchase
and allow you to try the service for a
year). The risk/reward ratio has
suddenly tilted very much in the con-
sumer’s favor. Students with an Apple
Music subscription can also get free
limited access to Apple TV Plus. But
keep in mind that if you cancel the trial,
it takes effect immediately and you
won’t get a second chance, so rather
than cancel early to avoid being charged
in 12 months, set a calendar reminder
if you really don’t want to risk being
charged a year from now. For those
who have purchased an eligible Apple
device during the promotional period,
the free service is worth trying and will
only get better.
• Essentially free for many Apple
customers, for a year
• A few gems like For All Mankind
and The Morning Show
• Something for kids, young adults,
and grownups
• Cheaper than Netfl ix
• Supports multiple simultaneous
users and downloads
• Can’t binge-watch a new series
• No user profi les to allow for sepa-
rate favorite shows
• No proven franchises compared to
Disney/Pixar/Marvel/Star Wars
• No award-winning library com-
pared to Netfl ix, HBO and Disney
Plus
• Steven Spielberg’s Amazing
Stories and other promised shows
haven’t launched yet
FINAL VERDICT
Personally, I fi nd Apple TV Plus
already to be worth the cost of a cup
of coffee each month; but by giving
millions of Apple customers a free year
of Apple TV Plus, Apple has given itself
breathing room. Over the next year,
Apple can streamline the user
experience and add valuable, even
addictive content. Most users should
reserve judgement until next year to
decide whether the $4.99 monthly fee
is worth it. Ѷ
Todd Bernhard is founder of No Tie Software, an
app development company specializing in ring-
tones and sound eff ects including AutoRingtone.
Bernhard has owned an Apple Newton, a Mo-
torola Marco, an HP 95LX, a Compaq iPaq, a Palm
Treo, and a Nokia e62. In addition to writing for
iPhone Life, Mr. Bernhard has written for its legacy publications,
PocketPC Magazine and The HP Palmtop Paper.
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