Apple Reportedly Exploring Producing Original TV Shows

Apple has been having early discussions with Hollywood executives about producing original video programming in a bid to potentially compete against companies like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, according to a new report from Variety.

Sources indicate the Cupertino, Calif. colossus has held preliminary conversations in recent weeks with executives in Hollywood to suss out their interest in spearheading efforts to produce entertainment content. The unit putting out the feelers reports into Eddy Cue, who is Apple’s point man on all content-related matters, from its negotiations with programmers for Apple TV to its recent faceoff with Taylor Swift.

It's currently unclear how large Apple's ambitions and commitment to producing original video content are, as sources have told Variety contradictory things about the Cupertino company's plans. One source says Apple wants to create development and production departments that could create long-term content like Netflix does with original TV shows and movies. Another source says Apple is "flirting" with the idea, and launched an "unprecedented bid" to sign Top Gear stars Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond when they left the BBC. However, Amazon ended up winning that bidding war.

In recent years, Apple has hired independent film content experts to shore up iTunes Movies' independent offerings with exclusive windows on films and a broader selection of content, including offering movies available for rent before or during their theatrical runs.

More recently, Apple has expanded into original content with its worldwide Beats 1 Radio station and music videos for artists like Drake, Eminem and M.I.A., which are reportedly produced in-house. With Apple's rumored live TV-over-the-internet service coming in 2016, it's likely the Cupertino company could be looking for original and exclusive content to lure customers to its service rather than its competitors.

Apple reportedly preparing in-house video productions, bid on Top Gear successor

According to a new report out of Variety, Apple is looking to enter the TV and movie production industry in a way similar to how Netflix has recently done. The report claims that Apple has been looking to hire both actors and directors to create production divisions that would produce exclusive long-form content in-house.

Specific details regarding the idea are unclear at this point as it appears to still be in the early stages of development. Apple could potentially charge a monthly subscription price for access to its in-house content, or it could sell it ala-carte like it currently sells iTunes content. It’s also unclear if Apple plans to focus on producing TV shows, movies, or both. The report cites one high-level executive who claims that Apple is looking to compete directly with Netflix and its original series content with its offerings. Netflix offers both original TV shows and movies, including hits like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and the upcoming Fuller House

Specifically, Apple is said to have made a bid to hire the stars of the BBC series Top Gear, but Amazon won out in the end and secured Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond for its own original content.

The scale of Apple’s ambitions vary depending on whom is asked, but one high-level executive who talked with the company said the goal is to create development and production divisions that would churn out long-form content to stream in a bid to compete with Netflix. Apple is hoping to put a headhunting firm on those hires in the coming months, according to source, with the goal of being in operation next year. Unknown is whether the focus is on TV series, movies–or both.

Apple producing its original content has been something that’s been brought up several times in the past, but with the launch of Beats 1 and the company’s exclusive music offerings, producing in-house video content seems like the logical next step. A job listing earlier this summer suggested that Apple was already producing in-house music videos for Apple Music artists.

This news comes on the heels of Apple’s rumored plans to offer a web cable subscription service, offering a package of channels for a set monthly price. The company is expected to introduce a new Apple TV at an event next month with support for an App Store, gaming, Siri, and much more.

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple TV, Content, Hollywood, in house production, movies, TV

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Android Wear on iOS: Setup and first impressions [Video]

Android Wear finally has iOS support after Google pushed its iPhone-compatible software to the App Store. This means that Android has beaten Apple Watch to the cross-platform game. Or, at least it would, if iOS didn’t restrict it to a state of almost uselessness. The only device officially supported is the LG Watch Urbane although — as we previously revealed — the older generation Android Wear watches do work. I got it set up with my Moto 360, and have been mostly disappointed by my experience so far.

My Moto 360 runs the latest Android Wear 1.3 build, and with any Android smartphone is capable of a great many things. I have a plethora of watch faces available to download from the Play Store, some of them interactive, and many, many apps to interact with by voice command or touchscreen gesture.  To go from that, to only being able to see calendar events, weather, reminders and Gmail is anticlimactic to say the least. At worst, I was expecting to be able to see SMS message notifications and not much else, but I don’t even have those. Regardless of hardware, new or old, this restriction won’t change with iOS until Apple says so.

My other frustrations I feel are mostly to do with having a 1 year-old smartwatch. Voice commands take forever to register and load, and even when it looked like it was about to do something, I’d get a pop up notification telling me my phone was no longer connected. Nothing has worked properly, apart from the very first few minutes of setting up and going through the simple tutorial. To say it has been a waste of time would be putting it mildly.

If you haven’t downloaded the Android Wear app for your iPhone yet, and still want to give it a try, you can download it here for free. If you don’t have an Android Wear smartwatch to try it with, you can pick one up for as little as $130 online.

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Android Wear, App Store (iOS), Apple Inc, Google, Google Now, Google Play, iOS, iPhone, Setup, video

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Former Apple sapphire supplier GT Advanced to cut 40% of workforce as restructuring continues

Nearly a year ago, Apple’s sapphire supplier GT Advanced Tech announced that it was filing for bankruptcy under Chapter 11, with the company parting ways with Apple as part of the restructuring. Today, The Wall Street Journal reports that GT Advanced Tech will be reducing its workforce by another 40 percent in an effort to further cut costs.

GT Advanced Technologies already laid off around 700 workers when it initially announced its plans to file for bankruptcy. While it’s unclear how many people will be getting laid off in this wave of cuts, the company says the lay offs will save it some $20 million per year and help it “right size” its costs.

Apple and GT Advanced severed ties when the latter company announced that it was filing for bankruptcy. At the time, however, GT noted that the parting was amicable. GT paid off many of its debts by selling the sapphire furnaces that it had purchased for its Arizona plant.

The company, which had already laid off some 700 workers at a former Arizona sapphire-manufacturing facility, said the further cuts will save it $20 million a year and help it “right size” its costs after exiting chapter 11, according to papers filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manchester, N.H.

The number of workers getting pink slips is unclear. A company spokesman couldn’t be reached for comment. GT Advanced had about 1,000 employees when it filed for bankruptcy in October.

Earlier this month we reported that the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will not feature sapphire displays, leaving Apple Watch as the only Apple product that uses the material. The effects of GT Advanced Tech’s struggles on Apple are still unclear on the surface, but the company’s downfall likely contributed in some way, shape, or form to the lack of a sapphire iPhone, although there would be many trade-offs to using it.

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Samsung Announces Round 'Gear S2' Smart Watch

Samsung today unveiled its newest smart watch, the Samsung Gear S2, which is the company's first watch that includes a round display instead of one that's square or rectangular.

Positioned as Samsung's seventh smart watch release, the Gear S2 comes in three varieties: Classic, standard, and 3G. The Classic version includes a black case with a black leather band, while the standard version includes a dark gray case with a matching rubber band or a silver case with a white rubber band. According to Samsung, the Classic model is for users "who prefer a more timeless watch design," while the standard model is "ideal for those who are on-the-go and have an admiration for minimal and modern design."


The third model, the 3G Gear S2, features the same design as the standard model but includes a 3G radio to connect to 3G cellular networks. With dedicated 3G capabilities, the 3G Gear S2 can be used without a phone, unlike the Apple Watch and most other smart watches on the market.

"For the past several years, Samsung has pioneered and advanced the wearables category, bringing brave new concepts to the smart wearables market," said JK Shin, CEO and Head of Samsung's IT & Mobile Business. "The Samsung Gear S2 reflects Samsung's most progressive innovation. It is the perfect complement for any occasion, easily taking you from day to night, from work to workout--and ensuring that you get more out of every moment in your day, by making it smarter and ultimately more personal and fun."

Each of 11.4 millimeter thick Gear S2 watches includes a 1.2-inch diameter touch display with a resolution of 360 x 360 (302 pixels per inch), a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, and 4GB of storage space. It charges wirelessly, has two to three days of battery life, and includes NFC, WiFi, and Bluetooth. On the battery front it outshines the Apple Watch depending on use, but it has less storage space than the Apple Watch's 8GB.

The bezel of the Gear S2 rotates, a feature that's used to navigate through the operating system to interact with apps, and it also uses dedicated Home and Back buttons. Samsung plans to release apps and watch faces designed specifically for the circular display of the Gear S2. Taking a cue from Apple, Samsung designed a new 24-hour fitness activity log for the Gear S2, which will let users view daily progress and get reminders to help them stay on track with fitness goals.

Samsung's Gear S2 watch runs the Tizen operating system instead of Android, making it incompatible with the Android Wear app for iOS that Google launched earlier today.

Samsung has not yet released pricing details on the Gear S2 or provided a release date, but the company plans to provide more information at the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin, which starts later this week.