iTunes and AirPlay 2 Coming to Samsung Smart TVs
- Mehedi Hassan
- Jan 06, 2019
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Apple is bringing iTunes Movies & TV Shows to Samsung Smart TVs this Spring. The companies announced today that Apple’s iTunes Movies & TV Shows service will be making its way to Samsung Smart TVs in more than 100 countries this year.
iTunes will be joined by support for AirPlay 2, which will be available to Samsung Smart TVs in 190 countries. iTunes will be available as an exclusive on Samsung Smart TVs — at least for now, but there is a very good chance of the service making its way to other smart TVs.
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Apple bringing iTunes to Samsung Smart TVs is a big deal. So far, iTunes has really only been available through the Apple TV, and bringing it exclusively to Samsung’s Smart TVs is kind of a surprising move from Cupertino. But here is the thing: Apple’s streaming service is expected to launch sometime this year, and it will compete directly with the likes of Netflix.
And if that service is limited to Apple-made hardware, it’s not going to get adopted by many, especially since the majority of TV owners in the world probably don’t own an Apple TV. And so, making iTunes available right from smart TVs makes a ton of sense, and the Samsung exclusivity is probably just the beginning of something much broader.
AirPlay 2 support is kind of important, too. AirPlay 2 will allow users to stream content from their iPhone or iPad to their TV to enjoy things like playing videos, or even music, podcasts, etc. “We look forward to bringing the iTunes and AirPlay 2 experience to even more customers around the world through Samsung Smart TVs, so iPhone, iPad and Mac users have yet another way to enjoy all their favorite content on the biggest screen in their home,” Apple’s EVP of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, said in a statement.
And after the big news of its revenue shortfall from last week, Apple’s focus on its Services business will be critical for the company’s business going forward. At a point where iPhone sales are not doing so well, it’s time for Apple to really focus on its Services and diversify its product lineup. The company’s Services business, which includes things like iTunes and Apple Music, has shown some decent growth recently, and Apple plans to double the of its Services business by 2020.
Whatever the company does with its new streaming service will tell us a lot about the company’s future, and it’s definitely going to be one of the key parts of its Services business in the future. Locking up its Services products to its own ecosystem and products won’t really help, and bringing iTunes to Samsung Smart TVs is showing some hope, to be fair.
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Conversation 12 comments
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provision l-3
<p>It's an interesting move and combined with Apple Music on Echo and coming to other Alexa based products gives a pretty good indication of how Apple plans to grow its services. It also puts a bit of a dent in the whole "Lock-in" thing. I guess the real surprise is that it was Samsung that Apple chose to work with but I also think Apple is far more pragmatic than they get credit for. </p>
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dontbe evil
<p>apple is desperate, part 3</p>
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wocowboy
Premium Member<p>This move makes perfect sense. Airplay 2 works perfectly and having your iTunes video library available on your TV is great. I own an Apple TV and normally do not use the built-in apps on my TV because most of them are terrible and rarely, if ever, receive updates, but it's nice to have them available. About the only included app on the TV I use is YouTube because unlike on the Apple TV it supports and displays 4k content. Therefore, it would be BIG news if Google announced that the Apple TV YouTube app would now support 4k content like every other streaming app on the platform does. </p>