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VPNs for ad-blocking While Netflix led to the death of video rental stores, in its current form, Apple TV+ is best viewed as a digital return to the video stores of old: as a rental service only. While a one-week trial likely won’t be enough to get through everything, if you’re a dedicated binger, you won’t have a reason to stay subscribed beyond a month or two. That said, this service really should be cheaper. Unless you’re treating it as a monthly rental, it’s tough to justify the ongoing cost, especially in comparison to other streaming services. And how does the Apple TV+ launch price, free trial and features weigh up against the competition? Let’s take a look. By our math, there are 82 TV series, limited series and docuseries. That’s more than double the size of the Apple TV+ library last time we checked in with the service, though it remains minuscule compared to the content catalogs available on Netflix, Disney+ and Stan. In the early days, Apple TV+ struggled to crack into double digits when it came to movies. In 2022, the film library still isn’t huge. However, it does have a little bit of everything. The current Apple TV+ film catalog is spread across fifteen movies, fourteen documentaries and ten specials. There are also plenty of new shows coming soon, though, with around 84 more movies, TV series, and documentaries in the works for Apple’s streaming service. The good news is that the top-tier stuff on Apple’s streaming service rates among the best when it comes to the entire streaming landscape. Ted Lasso, The Afterparty and Mythic Quest are some of the best (and most original) comedies to come out of the past few years, while dramas like Severance and Pachinko stand head-and-shoulders above the vast majority of the Netflix when it comes to quality. For the kids, Apple TV+ has on offer the full series of Ghostwriter, Helpsters and Snoopy in Space. Other dramas, such as Servant and Truth Be Told, are also there to watch. The bad news is that the diversity of the catalog sometimes works against it. For every genre, Apple TV+ tends to have one or two really good one of those. For example, science fiction fans will probably love For All Mankind and Foundation. However, once you’ve finished those, there isn’t much else to justify sticking around for. It may also disappoint some that most TV episodes will be released weekly, so if you were hoping to take the opportunity to binge-watch as many new series as you could on your 7-day free trial, you’re out of luck. The streamer made the history books earlier this year, after CODA won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 2022 Oscars. Beyond that headline hit, the Apple TV+ includes a decent but not decadent number of films. Still, the sparse lineup here remains one of the biggest weaknesses if you’re looking to choose between Apple TV+ and most other streaming services. That’s where the pleasantries end. Back in 2019, attempting to stream any show via web browser during peak WiFi usage times (say post-dinner around 8pm) is nearly impossible. And you won’t be able to watch anything for more than 10 seconds before your video crashes. In 2022, this isn’t an issue, though browser viewing feels buggy. It worked in Chrome on my laptop but not in Chrome on my desktop, and Edge viewing on my desktop had moments where clicks were delayed, didn’t register, or it would sometimes open a new browser window just to access content. To add to that fire, when I tried accessing the Apple TV+ web browser on my Mac, it asked me to verify my credit card details again to authorise my web viewing. And no, it didn’t let me use my debit card and I don’t own a credit card, so that’s kind of game over. But what Apple user wouldn’t be using the Apple TV App right? While we’ve all heard about the high streaming quality Apple TV+ is boasting, there’s a caveat to that: although Apple TV+ offers 4K HDR on all compatible platforms, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision are only supported on its own devices. Those streaming via AirPlay won’t be able to watch anything in video quality greater than 1080p anyway. While it’s much easier to quickly browse through the entire range of Apple Originals on Apple TV+ in one swipe via the app, it’s hard not to notice the extensive range of TV shows and movies that you could rent or purchase for only around $2.99-$5.99 (and who knows, you might feel like splurging on such an accessible collection of all 30 seasons of The Simpsons for $34.99 per season, but you could just sign up for the Disney Plus free subscription trial that Apple links from the store). While there are definitely some exciting series to look forward to in Apple’s large line-up (see our content section below for more details), you’re not getting bang for your buck with Apple TV+ . If you’re impatient like me, Apple’s habit of creating ‘endless scrolling’ pages of content gets tiring pretty fast. That said, “endless” isn’t applicable here because you’ll reach the bottom of the content page surprisingly fast. It makes it hard to find the show you’re looking for without having to go through the entire Apple Originals range available, in the order that Apple has decided to showcase them. While aesthetically pleasing, practical, easy navigation trumps in this case and this is where the Apple TV site, via web browser at least, is sorely lacking. It also doesn’t seem to have a convenient way to continue watching where you left off; sure, there’s a resume function, but you have to scroll to your content to continue. You also can’t add content to a personalised list, which feels like an oversight, but may be indicative of the lack of stuff to watch. Navigation isn’t as much of a problem on the app, the issue is more so getting distracted and overloaded by all the other content being pushed on Apple TV (which, spoiler alert, is mostly not coming to your screen for free). Another big omission is the lack of any rating/review system being displayed on each TV show/ movie page. Netflix champions their own user rating system while other streaming services have opted to display the IMDB score, which do vary in usefulness and objectivity but at least there’s something up there. If you’re a consumer usually curious to see how a new TV show or movie has fared with critics and fans, this feature might massively irk you as it did me. And having to go and search up the reviews for your next binge-watchable film on Google yourself is not very comprehensive of Apple TV+ and simply a waste of your time. With Family Sharing, you’ll be able to access your group members’ App Store purchases and Apple subscriptions without giving out your Apple ID information. So it’s a little more complicated than just sharing your Netflix login with a friend. Getting this sorted might take an extra step but the upside is that anyone with a supported Apple device running iOS 8 or OS X Yosemite or later can join your family, or you can accept an invite to join a family. You can only be part of one family group at a time though. If you’re at all interested in any of Apple’s original content, such as Ted Lasso or Severence, then Apple TV+ is absolutely worth trying out. There’s a generous free trial, and even if you stay on after that, the service is significantly cheaper than most of the other streaming services out there. If you’re confused about the two, the easiest way to tell them apart is to remember that Apple TV as it exists today is pretty similar to how the movie and TV show section of iTunes used to work.
