Invitations to an event at its Cupertino campus on Monday simply saying "It's show time" have sparked speculation that the tech giant could be about to announce its next TV steps. Apple needs to diversify and find new ways of bringing in cash as iPhone sales slow down, analysts say. But in an unforgiving media landscape, Apple is expected to launch a challenge to the likes of Netflix. Apple has built up relationships with major movie studios and TV networks, and these are "critical" for it to launch a subscription service, Mr Stanton says, because it needs to have more content than just its own original shows. Apple has been on a $2bn spending spree, signing up stars such as Oprah Winfrey, for original content. Jennifer Aniston and Reece Witherspoon are also widely reported to have been signed up. Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said he wants to focus the company on selling services rather than just hardware in a major shift in strategy. Tom Harrington of Enders Analysis adds: "iPhone sales are slowing so it makes sense for Apple to further diversify its business.
