The Apple TV Store is a mess (in Switzerland)
Posted in daily
Tags :My latest iTunes purchases have been subpar. Ever since iTunes Movie Store moved to the (Apple) TV app, the navigation has become worse. Considering it was already bad (in Switzerland) it’s not encouraging.
Localisation mess in Switzerland
Putting aside localisation issues (Switzerland is a multilingual country, and Apple has never honoured the language settings for its UI), the description of my two last movie purchases (1) didn’t match what was downloaded.
You don’t get what’s written on the tin, and Apple will not refund you.
Limited choice of languages
Most of the movies purchased in the Apple Store are multilingual, with subtitles or closed captions included. Rentals offer a more limited choice. You have to choose the main audio language, and they often offer less alternative choices, if any at all.
Since the end of last year, I’ve seen a shift in the way some movies are marketed on the Store. They only come in 1 language, with no subtitles (or close captions). German, French or Italian, and that’s it. There is no way to watch the movie in its original version with French subtitles for instance. There is no way to watch the movie with any subtitles at all.
What gets to me is that the Store’s UX is misleading, even if you follow the route “Filme auf Französisch” (movies in French written in German for some reason), the hero banner displays a purchase button with tech specs below it, but nothing on its meta info. Scroll to the bottom to find the languages section.
Original audio English Audio French (France) (Dolby 5,1, AAC)
Moreover, I’m seeing more and more movies sold without any subtitles or closed-captions, which is damaging from an accessibility and usability standpoint (I often turn subtitles on).
Scroll back up, buy the movie, open it and you’ll discover there’s no English audio track. Does “Original audio” mean the movie was made in that languge, but it’s not bundled with the movie?
Confusing labels, to say the least.
Could this be a dark pattern to sell more movies? Maybe an IP or copyright related issue? I can’t make my mind up.
I’ve put up with the Store not living up to its promise, but I’ve had enough. I asked for a refund detailing all of the above, but it was declined – twice. It’s not so much for the money, but I feel I’m being taken for a ride.
There are numerous other sources on the internet where I can find the original version of most movies, with only a little additional effort.
Sour grapes
The iTunes Music Store all but killed peer-to-peer file sharing services some 20+ years ago by offering tracks of good quality at an affordable price, which became very quickly DRM free.
This never happened with the movie industry, but the convenience of the iTunes aka Apple TV Store was sufficient for many. As time went by, the quality of purchased (read leased) movies improved. Extras were included, etc.
Rental prices are attractive, especially if you searched for discounted prices. I viewed many movies at Fr 1.50 or Fr 3.50. Not the latest blockbusters, but good movies.
Today, services have become Apple’s most important growth sector, and I feel they’ll bend backwards for this so called growth to continue.
I’m not an Apple fan. I love my Mac, and I love macOS, but Apple has become so big that I’m having a hard time relating to its decisions on many fronts.
This is nothing but a silly first world problem, but the user experience is damaged, and that makes me sad.
After all, as Gruber often points out, Apple’s priorities are,
- Apple,
- it’s users,
- and its developers.
Your TV (app) Store UX sucks Apple. You can do better than that.
* Oppenheimer and Asteroid City