Apple TV Plus Review

Our Verdict

Apple Telly Plus is an interesting kickoff human foot forward from Apple in the streaming wars, just the visitor's not quite there withal.

For

Large-budget shows
Broad availability
Low toll

Confronting

Few must-see shows

Tom's Guide Verdict

Apple TV Plus is an interesting start human foot forward from Apple in the streaming wars, only the company'due south not quite in that location yet.

Pros

+
Big-upkeep shows
+
Wide availability
+
Low cost

Apple Boob tube Plus, the company's fourth premium subscription service (joining Apple Music, Apple News Plus and Apple tree Arcade) is here, and it's … interesting. Priced as well low to write off immediately, Apple TV Plus aims to worm its way into your streaming habits with big names, important bounds and a surprising amount of supported devices (at least for Apple). It'southward fifty-fifty on the Fire Tv Stick (which Disney Plus tin can't claim nonetheless).

Having spent a weekend poking effectually the service's initial offerings, I've plant that Apple TV Plus package isn't exactly ready to compete with Netflix, even though some of the Apple service's shows can be pretty entertaining. But our list of the best Apple TV Plus shows and movies shows that the service is edifice a decent catalogue.

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Television is a medium where commercial (Large Bang Theory) and disquisitional (The Wire) success can be mutually exclusive, then my lukewarm thoughts about some of Apple's shows may prove irrelevant over time. The success of Apple tree Television receiver Plus, however, depends on many of its shows can find a strong audience that makes the service a must-take.

Apple tree TV Plus pricing, availability and deals

Priced lower than whatever major streaming service, Apple Television Plus costs $4.99 per month (with a i-week free trial). That includes 4K streaming (which costs $15.99 on Netflix) and family sharing, with a total of six shared accounts permitted. Apple tree Tv Plus is available in more than than 100 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of australia.

Yous tin can get a free year of Apple Boob tube Plus by buying a device to scout it on; that could be the iPhone, iPad, Apple Television, iPod bear on or whatsoever Mac. Students paying for the $4.99 Apple Music account get Apple Boob tube Plus for gratis.

We're not exactly plussed with Apple TV+. — (Image credit: Time to come)

Apple Tv set Plus app and device support: Flawed

Apple could not hope for its streaming service to succeed if it were limited to just Apple tree's hardware; neither the Apple Television receiver Hard disk ($149) nor the Apple TV 4K ($179) is affordable. And so, the good news is that the service isn't limited to the TV app (available on tvOS, iOS, iPadOS and macOS).

There's an Apple tree TV app for both Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices.

How well those apps run, though, is a different question. Apple TV Plus operates smoothly on Apple'due south ain devices, but things didn't run every bit smoothly elsewhere. Users (including my colleague Andrew E. Freedman at Tom's Hardware) take reported random crashing in the spider web browser mode, and I saw the Amazon Fire Telly app stop mid-episode in Dickinson, which kicked me to the Apple TV app's home screen.

I couldn't spotter in a web browser for long enough to come across a crash, notwithstanding, as I saw bumpy video quality, particularly when people were moving in both Run into and Dickinson. Frustratingly, any progress made in a spider web browser doesn't bear over to other apps. That stack of browser-based issues might seem pocket-sized for those with a streaming stick or box, but those who employ their laptop for their Television would say otherwise.

A less annoying, but all the same noticeable issue happened as I streamed Apple TV Plus shows on the Fire Television Stick 4K; the load time after fast-forwarding or rewinding a show was about 8 seconds on average, while Netflix (5 seconds) and Prime number Video (iv seconds) loaded footage faster.

My Roku Ultra had the least-annoying issue of all exterior platforms, equally I noticed a slight lag between clicking a button on the remote and the on-screen graphics responding.

Apple TV Plus library: Not aiming for quantity

Apple Television set Plus' $4.99-per-month price makes sense given that you can fit the ix entries in the Apple TV Plus launch listing — The Morning Show, See, For All Mankind, Dickinson, Ghostwriter, Helpsters, Snoopy in Space, Oprah'southward Book Guild, The Elephant Queen — in a single smallish paragraph. A few of those originals fabricated our listing of the best Apple Idiot box Plus shows and movies, but it was a later release (Ted Lasso) that truly made people sign up.

You can't say the same about Netflix'south originals lineup, which earns its higher price (Hard disk drive streaming costs $15.99 per month) with quantity, offering hundreds of shows and movies. Disney Plus launched with nine originals, and those shows will debut one episode per calendar week, merely the service rolled out many more new hits and Marvel and Star Wars shows that well-nigh get in a value choice at $7.99 per calendar month.

Outlook: Waiting on more than hits

Is Apple TV Plus worth it? Well, the shows certainly await like they cost a lot to make, but based on my experience, I have to say the service's value is on a case-by-case footing. You tin watch all of Ted Lasso and love information technology, merely beyond that you might want more (and not observe it).

I'll exist updating this review equally Apple TV Plus evolves, as information technology's a living, animate affair. I currently pay for Apple TV Plus equally a part of an Apple One bundle.

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Henry is a senior editor at Tom'due south Guide roofing streaming media, laptops and all things Apple tree, reviewing devices and services for the past six-plus years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's as well covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.