Apple and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television and Universal Television have struck a deal for a reboot of Mr. Spielberg’s Amazing Stories. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple will pay “significantly” more than $5 million per episode for the series in a deal for 10 episodes. The show, which was created by Steven Spielberg and originally ran in the 1980s, will include Mr. Spielberg as executive producer. It’s a significant investment for Apple, which is looking to develop a stable of high-end flagship programming that will bring viewers to its Apple Music service. The Wall Street Journal noted that Apple hired Sony Corp.’s top Hollywood television executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht earlier this year.
Apple Music
Watch the Apple Music Trailer for 'Bang! The Bert Berns Story'
Apple Music is premiering Bang! The Bert Berns Story on October 24th. Bert Berns is one of the biggest names in music most of us have never heard. He was a record producer and songwriter, writing or cowriting songs such as “Twist and Shout,” “Piece of My Heart,” “Under the Boardwalk,” “I Want Candy,” and one of my 60s favs, “Hang on Sloopy.” There are many more, and he was one of those behind-the-scenes people who had a huge impact on rock and R&B as those musical forms emerged in the 1960s. Oh, and he was apparently involved with the mob, something I didn’t know. The documentary is being narrated by Steven Van Zandt with lots of historical footage and interviews with artists he worked with or recorded his music. Even Dobby has something to say. Or maybe that’s Keith Richards. Hard to tell any more. In any event, I can’t wait to watch it.
Apple Music with Sonos, Alexa, and AirPlay 2
Sonos’s new Alexa support doesn’t offer full control for Apple Music, but next year’s AirPlay 2 integration might just provide Apple Music subscribers full voice-control of their Sonos sytems.
Apple's iTunes Decisions, Apple Music Plans, the Need for LTE, More - ACM 431
In Episode 431, Bryan and Jeff dig into four topics, and they didn’t even run late. They discuss Apple’s App Store-ectomy from iTunes, Jimmy Iovine’s plans for Apple Music, FM radios in our iPhones, and whether or not Jeff is going to regret not getting LTE in his new Apple Watch Series 3.
![Sonos Announces Sonos One, a Smart, Voice-Enabled Speaker [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/sonos-one-voice-speaker.jpg)
Sonos Announces Sonos One, a Smart, Voice-Enabled Speaker [Update]
NEW YORK CITY – Similar in size and form to Sonos’s popular PLAY:1, the Sonos One adds a six-microphone array to give it far-field voice recognition capability, and will ship on October 24th with support for Alexa baked right in.
Apple Premiering Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives on Apple Music on October 3
Apple purchased the rights to the acclaimed documentary Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives earlier this year, and you can watch it on Apple Music starting on October 3rd.
5 Reasons to Buy Apple Watch Series 3
It might not have seemed like it during the keynote, but Apple Watch Series 3 has quite a few new features that are must-haves for Jeff Butts and many others.
Apple's New Entertainment Industry Hires, Dealing with Spam Callers - TMO Daily Observations 2017-09-07
Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to look at Apple’s latest entertainment industry hires, plus they talk about dealing with spam callers.
Apple Hires More Sony TV Executives for its Own Original Shows
Apple continues to pillage Sony Pictures Television for its own TV efforts by hiring three more veterans. Another WGN America veteran just joined Apple’s team, too.
iOS 11 Favorite Features, Apple’s Entertainment Plans, Apple Watch Cheaters - ACM 427
iOS 11 is coming, and Bryan and Jeff discuss some of what they’re looking forward to. They also talk about Apple’s big plans in making movies and TV shows, and why it’s important for Apple to do so. The cap the show with a look at Apple Watch being involved with a baseball cheating scheme.
007: Apple and Amazon Battle for Bond
The James Bond movie rights are up in the air and Apple and Amazon are both hoping to land a deal.
New Carpool Karaoke Trailers from Apple Music Turn to Sports
Throughout its existence, Carpool Karaoke has featured excellent singing, but fans of these athletes won’t have to worry about that in these trailers.
Apple's TV Show Strategy, AR Wireless Patents - TMO Daily Observations 2017-08-28
John Martellaro and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to look at Apple’s place in the original TV show market, plus they talk about patents that may reveal the company’s augmented reality glasses plans.
4K Apple TV Launch Coming this Fall
Apple’s long anticipated 4K Apple TV is coming this fall, or so say insider sources.
Apple's Secure Enclave Encryption Key Revealed, Apple Music Content Investment - TMO Daily Observations 2017-08-18
Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to sort out the news that the encryption key for the iPhone and iPad Secure Enclave has been released on the internet, and they also look at Apple’s US$1 billion investment in original programming for Apple Music.
New Apple Music Carpool Karaoke Teasers for Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Ariana Grande, Seth McFarlane
Teasers hint at a Game of Thrones attraction cameo, as well as a past with a french horn.
WGN America President Matt Cherniss Joins Apple's TV Content Team
Matt Cherniss, the former president of WGN America, just joined Apple as the company’s head of U.S. programming for Apple Music.
The Silofication of Movies and TV, LOL Fitbit, and Fooling Self-Driving Cars - ACM 423
Disney said it’s pulling its huge portfolio from Netflix in 2019, and Bryan and Jeff are concerned that the silofication of more and more content will be bad for consumers. They also chat about Fitbit’s plans for a smartwatch…ah, we’re just kidding. LOL Fitbit. Oh, and it turns out it’s pretty easy to fool a self-driving car.
Apple Music Teases Carpool Karaoke Episodes with Metallica and Alicia Keys
Carpool Karaoke is Apple Music’s biggest bet yet on original video content, and it has been met with mixed criticism so far—the trailers, at least, are a lot of fun.
Carpool Karaoke, Apple's Fall Product Lineup - TMO Daily Observations 2017-08-09
John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on last night’s Carpool Karaoke launch on Apple Music, plus John tells us how expensive this fall will be thanks to new Apple products.
Carpool Karaoke The Series Debute Hits Apple Music
After a handful of delays, Carpool Karaoke The Series has finally premiered on Apple Music.
Apple Makes it Clear Services are a Key Part of its Business Model
Apple may be an iPhone company, but now it’s openly acknowledging how important services are to its business.
Apple Music Launches Carpool Karaoke on August 8th - Watch the New Trailer
The video features many more celebrities than were originally announced, including Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner, Gwen Stefani, Ariana Grande, Camilla Cabello, Metallica, Billy Eichner, Trevor Noah, Blake Shelton, and many more.
Trent Reznor on Apple, Music, Tech, and Nine Inch Nails
Apple Music exeuctive Trent Reznor recently granted a rare(ish) interview to Vulture magazine. Topics covered included Apple, Apple Music, streaming music, tech “stars,” and Nine Inch Nails. It’s a very interesting interview, and Mr. Reznor talks about how the idea of tech rock stars is “bull$%&@,” how the modern culture doesn’t value artists properly (including the music industry), and how having access to all of the music ever made has both good sides and down sides. I’m a big fan of Mr. Reznor (YMMV), and very much enjoyed reading this interview.
