In December 2023, Apple replaced the iTunes store - which many users found problematic, if not obsolete - with a new app that, ironically, has even more issues in terms of design and usability than its predecessor.
The replacement was supposed to "elevate the viewing experience":
“The redesigned Apple TV app makes it easier than ever for users to watch the shows, movies, and sports they love through an intuitive interface that brings content to the forefront,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “With so much available to watch, our aim is to ensure users always have their favorites at their fingertips.”
Well, they don't
On the contrary, the STORE section of the Apple TV app can be described as:
a) an exercise in redundancy;
b) a generator of cryptic and confusing categories.
Currently, the app displays the following rows of categories:
Top Chart: Movies, that is, a slideshow of best-sellers (both rentals and purchases).
Top Chart: TV, similar to the movie list but for TV content.
New Movie Releases: recent movie releases available for purchase and/or rental, which makes sense. So far so good.
Limited-Time Prices: This row shows movies that are sold at a discounted price. Prices vary, as you can see from this image, and many are on sale for $4.99.
$4.99 Movies: Great Deals: Another selection of discounted movies, specifically at $4.99. Why do movies priced at $4.99 appear in both rows? This redundancy is puzzling.
Under $10: Build Your Movie Collection: Yet another discount bin for movies under $10 (read: $9.99). Many movies from previous rows appear here as well. Again, what's the point of such redundancy? Besides, there are multiple variations of the "Under $10" category in the page, often featuring the same movies.
New & Noteworthy: Wait, I'm confused. How does the "New & Noteworthy" meta-category differ from "New Movie Releases"? Unclear. What makes a "New" release "Noteworthy"? Unclear. In fact, several movies that are featured in the former are present as well in the latter. Again, what's the point of such redundancy?
Movies Now Available to Rent: After two "flyover categories" (i.e., "Add Channels" and "Top Movie Bundles") which are ignored by most users most of the time, the STORE app introduces yet another puzzling category: "Movies Now Available to Rent", which lists - you guessed it! - several of the movies previously encountered in the "New & Noteworthy" and "New Movie Releases" rows. What's the point of such redundancy?
Wait, there is more!
What We're Watching: After many additional "flyover categories" that include many of the movies already seen in the previous categories, the user is presented with another cryptic selection entitled "What We're Watching" which is puzzling for two reasons. First, the "we" is not qualified. Who is "We"? Cook, Maestri, Federighi and Giannadrea? Unclear. Second - yes! Yes, you are presented with the same five or six films that you've met before! They are still haunting you. What's the point of such redundancy?
Wait, there's more! Introducing...
Early Release Movies: Ok, how is the "Early Release Movies" category different from "New Movie Releases", "New & Noteworthy", and "Movies Now Available To Rent"? Are these releases "early" compared to what, exactly? Early as in "Newer"? I wish I could tell you, but no explanations are provided. Clearly, several products featured in this category are also present in the previous ones. You catch the drift.
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In short, the STORE section of the Apple TV app features multiple overlapping categories that create a confusing user experience. As I write this, a limited number of products, e.g., Arcadian, Late Night with the Devil, One Life, just to mention a few - are presented in four similarly titled categories.
There might be a lot content available (somewhere, somehow) as Apple's Eddy Cue suggests, but the promised "finger-tipping" is MIA.
I miss iTunes.
