Apple’s Show Time event proved ‘coming soon’ is getting old

Yesterday’s It’s Show Time event was supposed to be a big deal for Apple — an opportunity for the company to spotlight new subscription services without the distraction of minor hardware releases. By press-releasing new iPads, iMacs, and AirPods throughout the prior week, Apple made sure that its audience focused its undivided attention on its services story.

Unfortunately, that story had a rocky start and an increasingly familiar conclusion. It began with a roundup of existing Apple services, ranging from the universally beloved Apple Pay to the perpetually troubled Siri, and finished with promises that new services will become available later this year. Only Apple News+ launched immediately, while Apple TV Channels was promised for May, Apple Card for the summer, then Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade sometime (or perhaps at different times) in the fall.