Josef Adalian, Vulture:

Earlier this week, Apple quietly confirmed it was changing the terms of its free trial. On its website, the company is now telling consumers that as of July 1, buying a new Apple device will only entitle them to three months of TV+ gratis, rather than a whole year.

This came up last week, I stumbled on it last night while making my way through another rabbit hole of reading. But the point is, Apple has announced an official policy change, giving you 3 free months of Apple TV+ when you buy a new Apple device, as opposed to the free year we’ve had up to this point.

To see this for yourself, jump to Apple’s Apple TV+ page, scroll all the way to the bottom, and check out footnote 1:

Eligible devices activated July 1, 2021 or later will qualify for offers of 3 months free Apple TV+. Eligible devices activated on June 30, 2021 or earlier will qualify for offers of 12 months free Apple TV+. $4.99/month after free trial.

As Josef says, Apple TV+ is about to take off the training wheels. Perfectly put.

After just 18 months or so in existence, TV+ currently offers more than 55 scripted, unscripted, and kids shows. And based on the regular press releases it sends out, it will be home to a couple dozen more big projects, including some big movies, by the end of 2022. Five or ten years ago, that sort of output would have given TV+ one of the biggest slates in television. As one top agent told me a few weeks ago as I was doing research for another story, “They have all the money in the world, and they spend it to make good stuff. They’re fulfilling their side of the bargain.”

In my mind, Apple TV+ is an amazing business success story. As season 2 starts rolling out, perfect time to take off those training wheels, see how the audience reacts with the smaller incentive.