Samsung today announced that it has worked with Apple to integrate iTunes movies and TV shows, as well as AirPlay 2 support, into its latest smart TVs. The features will roll out to 2018 models via a firmware update this spring and will be included on new 2019 models. iTunes movie and TV show access will come via a new dedicated app for Samsung’s TV platform, available in over 100 countries.
Apple pretty much had to do this, since it’s unreasonable to expect people to buy relatively expensive Apple TV devices to be able to watch iTunes content on their TVs. Several other platforms tend to be built right into TVs or can be added with cheap dongles like the Chromecast, and Apple couldn’t compete with that.
Apple has announced that iTunes content will also become available on TVs from other brands.
People should buy a separate box (Apple TV or whatever) instead of using what their TV manufacturer decides to grant them. I have a 2017 Samsung 4K HDR QLED TV and it’s not even connected to the Internet. The Nvidia Shield TV is my personal poison.
As you can see, only 2018 TVs will be getting the update. Unless you buy a new TV every year, chances are you’ll end up with a dongle device and then stick with that platform on your next TV too.
Totally agree. It’s cheaper to buy a new apple tv or chromecast than upgrade your TV every other year. Samsung updates TVs even less frequently than their smartphone division with android updates.
Not to mention I don’t understand why my TV has mcafee antivirus installed on it.
It’s to give you that “brand-new Windows PC” feeling.
I use my TV set practically only for Chromecast. And I would prefer if Chromecast was integrated right in the set. They should put iTunes, Netflix, Amazon and whatever else there is in there. After all it is just a software thing. The consumer can choose what to use.
“Apple couldn’t compete with that.”
Well… they Could compete… by releasing an inexpensive dongle like a Chromecast/Roku/FireTV
Apple has been locking in technology FOR YEARS, and now they want others to adopt their solutions? no, thank you.
I’ve got some video content associated with my iTunes account but, by and large, my library of video is with Amazon. I agree with Adurbe, if Apple really want to see mass adoption they need to compete with Chromecast/FireTV etc. So yeah, unless that happens – and I’m not interested in using iTunes via a smart TV – I don’t see myself buying much / any more Apple content.
I guess this effectively means that iTunes has been ported to some kind of Android / Linux. Hopefully this will get released to the wild at some stage. It’s very annoying that Apple supports Windows with iTunes but not Linux. Wine is simply not up to running all iTunes features. Not supporting Android is more understandable I guess as those phones are enemy number one, but not Linux. Of course Linux support will convert to ChromeOS support and that is enemy number 3 (W10 being #2).
It was ported to Tizen, which is some kind of Linux and it powers the current Samsung TVs. I don’t run it, nor do I plan, but likely is not the full iTunes app, but a (web?) app allowing access to content from your iTunes account… similar with the Netflix app.