Just when you thought your screen time couldn’t possibly go any higher, Apple has announced that they’re not satisfied with simply listening to people talk; no, they want you to see their pores too. In a move that is about five years late to the party for Spotify and about ten years late to the party for YouTube, Apple is finally rolling out their "new" integrated video experience for Apple Podcasts this spring, because even trillion-dollar companies eventually come to the realization that people enjoy looking at things while they ignore their responsibilities.
The Tech You Didn't Know You Already Had
The major selling point here is that Apple is finally abandoning their ancient RSS video feeds, which they’ve supported since the iPod days, for something called HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), which they developed all the way back in 2009 and allows video quality to adjust on the fly so that your stream doesn’t buffer the moment you walk into a basement. The major "innovation" here is that you can finally switch between audio and video without the app having a complete meltdown, and you can even use Picture-in-Picture mode, which is great for faking like you’re answering emails while watching a three-hour video series about a 1990s cult.
Show Me the Money (Because Apple Certainly Will)
Of course, this isn’t just “enhancing the creator experience,” but rather about the ads, which now, with HLS support enable Dynamic Video Ad Insertion so that creators can replace old ads with new ones not just on new content but on their entire back catalog. While Apple claims they won’t charge creators to host these videos, they will be taking an “impression-based fee” from the ad networks, which is just a classic Apple play on building the playground for free and then charging the vendors at the gate.
The AI Wildcard: What is Q.ai?
In a bit of foreshadowing, Apple has just dropped an unknown amount on an Israeli AI startup called Q.ai, and while the official press release was as vague as a horoscope, the tech involves machine learning to interpret audio-centric tools. Maybe Apple is planning to let you "watch" podcasts in total silence, or perhaps they just want an AI that can calculate exactly how bored you are during a mid-roll ad break, but either way, that "Services" segment needs to keep its $30 billion quarterly revenue stream rolling, and if that involves tracking your every habit while you watch The Pete Davidson Show, they clearly think that’s a price you’re willing to pay.
