Apple has extended invitations to the media for a special event on March 25 at the Steve Jobs theatre which is located in its headquarters in Cupertino, California. Though the invitation does not specify the event that it has planned, it does say ‘Showtime’ adding to speculation that the company may start a video streaming service on the lines of Netflix. The technology giant had hinted that it had plans of starting a video service after it invested on stars like Oprah Winfrey and also invested $2 billion to produce original content in Hollywood.
There are also reports that the company will work with channels like HBO for original content. It was also reported that the users with Apple devices will get a free subscription, but other users will be charged for the services. The TV service will most likely be launched globally and utilize the reach of its Apple store which is available in more than 100 countries and take on the likes of competitors like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Apple is also expected to relaunch its news streaming service where a single subscription package will provide news from many news services apart from the existing music streaming service.
Though the main highlight of the event will be the supposed video and streaming service, the company may also launch the AirPods 2 which is its new entry-level iPad and AirPower which is a wireless charging device. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that the iPad Mini and AirPod 2 will be likely to come with tracking features and also activate Siri. Another analyst Ben Bajarin said that this is the first time, the hardware is out of focus, but there is a chance that the Apple TV devices and iPads will get an update later. The company is making a big shift this year from its existing plan of using in-house devices for its software, but this year the Apple music services were tweaked to work on smart speakers from Samsung and Amazon considered as its rivals.
The launch of the new services and its potential sales will be a welcome addition as far as the investors are concerned as Apple reported a drop in its iPhone sales in January.
Though Apple has not mentioned the agenda of the March 25th event, the previous history indicates that it is not the launch of new models of iPhones or iPads but a combination of services.