Apple TV adds new app categories, advertises Tim Cook's ABC interview in tvOS App Store

AppleInsider

As part of continued efforts to build out the nascent tvOS platform, Apple on Thursday flipped the switch on new Apple TV App Store categories, while touting CEO Tim Cook's recent interview with ABC concerning the company's legal fight against FBI data decryption requests.

Source: Jim Neal via Twitter

First spotted by AfterPad, the new App Store categories offer users a more comprehensive browsing experience by aggregating a quickly growing tvOS content ecosystem into manageable chunks. The ability to surface new, popular apps has proven a boon for developers marketing their wares in the iOS and OS X App Stores, and the same is expected with Apple TV.

A complete list of Apple TV's new App Store categories:

• Business Apps
  
• Weather Apps
  
• Utilities
  
• Travel Apps
  
• Social Networking Apps
  
• Reference Apps
  
• Productivity Apps
  
• Music Apps
  
• Finance Apps
  
• Book Apps
  
• Medical Apps
  
• Catalogs

Apple first activated App Store categories in November shortly after launching the fourth-generation Apple TV.

Also new to the Apple TV App Store is a splash screen advertising Cook's recent interview with ABC News. Positioned in the top spot under Featured, the clickable banner links to a download of the free ABC News app and sports a picture of Cook speaking with anchor David Muir, with text reading, "Watch the Full Interview."

The segment, which aired yesterday, saw Cook speak at length about the implications of an FBI request that would compel Apple to help unlock an iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. Summing up Apple's stance on creating a workaround to existing iOS encryption technology, Cook said, "The only way we know to get additional information is to write a piece of software that is the software equivalent of cancer. That is what is at stake here."

msantti

 See all the Apple and Tim Cook stuff plastered on the Internet for the last few days and now I see advertising for this on my Apple TV.

How nice!

EsquireCats

This US govt PR campaign is identical to the one they were running in the lead up to the Iraq War, and I'm glad to see Apple are fighting it with their own efforts. First the US Govt tried to catch Apple off guard by going to the press first instead of approaching Apple directly. Then the constant emotion driven articles from survivors perspectives/FBI and endlessly pushing the "terrorist sympathiser" angle. Worse still is the blatant lie that the result of this case will not affect future cases - that's clearly bunk. This behaviour makes it crystal clear to me that their intentions are wider than just this case, and are very likely aiming for something far more nefarious.

unbeliever2

I'm not seeing this change yet in New England.  Is it a phased roll-out?