[graeme]

I think the strategy is to make airplay 2 available on any smart tv or device that they can.

Then, the streaming service will be available to anyone with any apple device: any iphone, ipad, mac.

A large chunk of people have at least one idevice or mac in a household. For instance, many android users have ipads.

All of these can get the service, and all will be able to put it on a screen with airplay 2.

Don't know if it will compensate, but that appears to be the strategy for the dilemma you're describing. I think they may also make their exclusive content available on any apple hardware.

[jedberg]

I use my iPad to stream content for my mother in law to my TV using AirPlay. It's a huge pain in the ass. She can't do it for herself, I have to set it up because of the various steps involved. I don't see that as a viable workaround.

[graeme]

Thanks! I don’t know the difficulties involved; I have no TV, just a projector. What steps did you have to do?

I agree that if most devices are cumbersome to stream to, then that’s too much friction for almost everyone.

[jedberg]

It's not complicated, it's just not intuitive.

1) Open the app

2) Make it start streaming

3) Make it full screen

4) Swipe up from the bottom of the screen (this is the part she never remembers)

5) Activate AirPlay and select the right device (in my house they are Apple TVs so they have good names, but if it were in every TV, they would have strange names

5b) If you've never streamed to this TV before, put in the auth code

At this point it will play to the TV. However, since I have an older iPad, it plays a 16:9 image in a 4:3 box on a 16:9 TV, so it doesn't use the whole screen. So then you have to go to the TV and change it to "zoom" mode to use the whole screen, which of course isn't at full resolution at that point.

[kalleboo]

The iOS "Videos" app used for iTunes video purchases doesn't require fullscreening, has the airplay streaming button right there on the video (removing the swipe up step), and it streams the raw video instead of doing screen mirroring (avoiding the letterbox/zoom issue), so presumably an Apple streaming service would also be easier to use