The price of Apple’s hardware stuff in India has never been at par with global pricing. A large reason for that has been heavy export duties, which are ‘heavy’ because of Apple’s resistance to manufacturing its products in India. While it may still take some time for Apple to bring down cost of its iPhones in India, the Cupertino giant is making sure as hell that its aggressively expanding services business is priced at par.
The most recent example of that is the launch of Apple TV+ in India. The streaming service, which Apple announced earlier in March this year, is priced at less than a dollar and 50 cents in India. It is priced at just ₹99 per month, which is massively low when compared with country leader Hotstar, and other streaming behemoths like Amazon and Netflix.
Starting today, Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac and other platforms, including online at tv.apple.com. The service is available in more than 100 countries around the world and the content is subtitled or dubbed in close to 40 languages according to a report.
TV shows that are available at launch include “See,” “The Morning Show,” “Dickinson,” “For All Mankind,” “Helpsters,” “Snoopy in Space,” “Ghostwriter,” and Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club. “The Elephant Queen,” a documentary, is also available. Do note, that Apple TV+ will mostly feature original programming from Apple. Whether there are plans to bring on externally produced shows on the platform remains to be seen.
New Apple Originals debuting in the coming months include series “Servant” (November 28), “Truth Be Told” (December 6) and “Little America,” and movies “Hala” and “The Banker.”
To subscribe to Apple TV+ and watch Apple Originals, customers can simply open the Apple TV app or visit tv.apple.com to sign up for the service, with a seven-day free trial.
Content can be viewed both online and offline, on the Apple TV app, which is already on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch and Mac. Apple TV+ is also available on the Apple TV app on select Samsung smart TVs and Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices. Customers with AirPlay 2-enabled Samsung, LG and VIZIO smart TVs can play Apple Originals from the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac directly to their smart TVs. Apple TV+ is also available on the web at tv.apple.com. With Family Sharing, up to six family members can share one Apple TV+ subscription and watch using their own Apple ID and password on their own devices.
Interestingly, customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch or Mac starting September 10, 2019 will receive one year of Apple TV+ for free. In addition, students around the world who subscribe to the Apple Music student plan can enjoy Apple TV+ for free on the Apple TV app or at tv.apple.com.
The Apple TV app will come to LG, Sony and VIZIO platforms in the future. Customers with eligible Sony smart TVs will be able to enjoy AirPlay 2 support later this year.
