Yesterday, I posted about reports of an Apple event set for March 25th. It was already looking like a jam-packed show, with the iPad Mini, iPad, Air Power, the new AirPods and Apple’s new premium News service all supposedly on-tap. Today, Bloomberg shook things up, claiming that Apple’s new Video service will also be revealed on the 25th.

So what does this mean? First off, this comes from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, so the report has instant credibility. The man has a solid track record and we all know he has sources on the inside at Apple. The company has tried to shut off the tap and freeze him out for the last two years, but to no avail. So this news is very believable coming from him.

Second, Gurman mentions that a few big name actors and directors have been invited to this event:

The iPhone maker invited Hollywood stars, including Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner and director JJ Abrams, to attend, one of the people said.

While Apple certainly has reach, they have never gone this route with their events. There have been lots of musical acts in the past, but that is more in Apple wheelhouse. However, this is really the only way to go to make a splash releasing such a service to the public.

One interesting point- Gurman doesn’t mention anything about hardware in this report. Hmmm. Considering how big the News and Video announcements will be, this is a little concerning. It is possible that Apple won’t reveal this much hardware at an event where Video and News are the stars of the show.

That said, the iPads are the perfect devices to put on stage alongside both of these offerings. They are ideal for News, magazine and video consumption, so I think they still feel like a safe bet to me to share this stage. Unfortunately, the AirPower and AirPods feel less so. However, as late as both of them are to market, they could just show up in a press release around the same time.

With both the Video and News services being revealed at the same event, another interesting thing to look for is whether Apple will do anything to combine multiple subscriptions now. The idea of them bundling services has bounced around over the past year, and based on the response to those reports, it would be quite popular with Apple users. I know I would definitely be on board day one. It seems like an obvious move, but Apple doesn’t always follow the obvious playbook. We will know soon enough.

 

© jhrogersii for iPad Insight, 2019. |
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