Apple’s First Foray Into Original TV Is a Series About Apps

Emily Steel:

Apple announced on Thursday that it was working with the entertainer Will.i.am and two veteran TV executives, Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens, on a new show that will spotlight the app economy.

Whenever I see Will.i.am next to a technological topic, I cringe.

Mr. Cue said that the new series did not signal a broader ambition by the company to greatly bolster its presence in original productions and streaming video. Last year, Apple was rumored to be exploring options for original programing and held talks with a number of big TV companies about offering a streaming television service.

“This doesn’t mean that we are going into a huge amount of movie production or TV production or anything like that,” Mr. Cue said. He added that the company would continue to explore exclusive projects similar to the series about apps or its push into music programming.

Still, I wonder if Apple (or the people in charge of the project) will contact “normal” developers to get their stories, instead of celebrities.