Apple Chopped the + From Apple TV+

Call it the era of the austere. Earlier this year, it was HBO’s turn when they blessedly ditched the “Max” from their streaming service, HBO Max. Now Apple is doing a little pruning of its own, although it had less to trim.

Apple TV+ is losing its +, and will henceforth be known as Apple TV. Which, yeah, if you’re thinking that sounds awfully familiar, you’re right. There’s already a thing called the Apple TV. Now there are two completely different Apple products called Apple TV, one a piece of hardware and the other a service.

Confused? Well, yeah. Blame that one on Apple.

potential confusion

Apple TV already exists. Well, sort of. Mostly. It’s called the Apple TV 4K, and it’s a streaming device. Apple was already playing a little fast and loose with its naming convention when it named its streaming service Apple TV+ in the beginning.

I always thought that + should be reserved for a future, premium iteration of the Apple TV hardware, not a complementary streaming service.

No wonder that Apple practically whispered the news of Apple TV+’s renaming into the air. “Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity,” was the only public mention Apple made, and it didn’t even get its own press release.

It was tacked onto the end of a press release announcing that F1: The Movie will be released to Apple TV on December 12 for streaming.

Apple TV finds its way into my regular rotation of streaming services because they have a solid rotation of shows that I enjoy quite a lot, including several series and season premieres spread across September and October.

It might have taken a few years to build up a stable of solid series, but Apple TV’s earned its place alongside Hulu and Netflix as worthy of your $13 per month. Whatever they call it, Apple TV is worth a look.