Apple TV+ just quietly rebranded with a really confusing new name

Just in case you thought it was too simple to differentiate between the Apple TV, a streaming box, Apple TV, a digital media marketplace, and Apple TV+, a streaming service, Apple is making it even more difficult. Quietly confirmed at the bottom of a press release announcing F1: The Movie’s streaming debut December 12, is confirmation that Apple TV+ is now… also named just Apple TV.

Streaming service name changes are nothing new, and we’ve seen rebrands even get walked back with the shift from HBO Max to Max and then back to HBO Max. However, this one is probably going to be even more confusing.

Apple calls the change ‘vibrant’

No real reason was given for the change

Credit: Apple

Usually a name change is ushered in with a bigger announcement than a single paragraph at the bottom of an unrelated press release. The name change essentially came out of nowhere, so perhaps Apple believes this branding is better suited for the company going forward. It seems like this would be a big deal considering Apple TV+ is a prominent streaming service with award-winning shows, but the reveal was treated with next to no fanfare.

“Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity,” said Apple.

Confusing names are not out of the ordinary, and the gaming industry is packed with them. The Xbox Series X and S are an example today, and if you look back to the Wii’s successor, the Wii U, you can find another. Usually, companies would want to avoid naming schemes like this, and maybe Apple thinks the 4K moniker included at the end of the Apple TV streaming box is enough for people to tell the difference.

With this shift, we now have the Apple TV standalone app, the Apple TV streaming service, and the Apple TV 4K streaming box. It’d be very easy for somebody to confuse the three, but apparently Apple doesn’t think so. At least Apple decided to keep the company in the name instead of picking something even more generic or confusing like TV+.