DRIVERS IN TECHNOLOGY Apple is giving you free access to MLB games in order to sell you another iPhone later.

 Each week, Apple TV+ will stream a doubleheader of MLB games starting on Friday.

It'll be akin to watching a baseball game on a standard broadcast network for the most part, but with some added features like the ability to ask Siri for player information or listen to your favourite player's at-bat song on Apple Music.

For the time being, it's also free. To watch, you don't need to subscribe to Apple TV+, which costs $4.99 a month. However, it may eventually assist Apple in selling more iPhones.

Apple's first major effort into sports programming is part of a bigger strategy with Apple TV+, which has considerably fewer members than Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max, according to all accounts - even Apple's. Unlike rival services, w
hich feature much more series and movies than you could possibly watch in a lifetime, Apple TV+'s collection is smaller and more carefully picked by people rather than an algorithm.

While no one at Apple would object if TV+ attracted the same number of members as Netflix, that isn't the end goal. I spoke with Apple representatives on Thursday, and they informed me that the company's goal with services like Apple TV+ isn't to monopolise market share. Instead, it prefers to concentrate on quality. Of course, you could argue that considerably more people would be interested.

On that front, the experiment is working. Last month, Apple won the Oscar for best film for "CODA," as well as multiple Emmys for "Ted Lasso," including outstanding comedy series. Meanwhile, the dystopian workplace drama "Severance" became a surprising smash this year, receiving rave reviews from reviewers and an order for a second season from Apple.

Netflix may have enormous hits like "Stranger Things" and "Squid Game," but there are dozens of lower-brow programming options like "The Floor is Lava" for every one of those episodes. Netflix has a lot of good content, but a lot of it gets buried in the shuffle.

Consider Apple TV+ in the same way that you might consider all of the extras that come with your Amazon Prime membership. Apple doesn't have to spend a lot of money to be successful.