Taking a Bite Out of Apple TV+

What do a classic first-season episode of The Twilight Zone from 60 years ago and the launch last Friday of Apple TV+ have in common? Quite a bit, it seems, so keep reading. The episode, titled “And When the Sky Was Opened,” is the story of three astronauts who return to Earth after their first mission in space. As their ship rests roped-off in the middle of a hangar, two of them (played by Charles Aidman and Rod Taylor) return home to their families, while the third (Jim Hutton) is treated for a broken leg. One by one they vanish with no explanation and no evidence of their existence left with anyone who knew them. At the end of the episode, all three astronauts and their spacecraft are gone, leaving an empty area of that hangar behind.

In watching what didn’t happen last Friday with Apple TV+’s debut, it seemed comparable to what unfolded in that episode. Sure, the service and its initial roster of original content was playing and available to people through smart TV sets and TV-connected devices. However, all through last Friday, it wasn't as obvious as it should have been that Apple TV+ had arrived (or, in Twilight Zone terms, existed).

Submitted first to make this case: A trip that morning to the closest Apple Store to my Brooklyn abode. It’s a beautiful triangle-shaped location, on Flatbush Avenue near the Barclays Center. More than 100 people were inside, checking out an assortment of Apple gear from iPhones to Mac-powered desktops. A group of children were sitting around a giant videowall in the back of the store, enjoying a storytelling hour from several Apple employees.

But, not one area of that store, or any hardware inside, showcased Apple TV+. Not one single iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch on any counter.

Taking a Bite Out of Apple TV+

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Simon Applebaum