Opinion: Apple set for war with Netflix

Steven Spielberg basked in the applause at Apple’s Steve Jobs Theater in California, the meticulous master of the blockbuster presumably feeling at home in that manicured cathedral of design. The legendary director was the first storyteller highlighted at Apple’s 25 March event, the much-ballyhooed launch of their foray into entertainment creation. Sure, they also announced an all-you-can-eat magazine buffet for Apple News subscribers, and a titanium credit card that would make Patrick Bateman from American Psycho bite his fist, but the headline has to be that Apple will now make shows and movies.

Spielberg kicking things off is no coincidence, given the director’s voluble campaigning against Netflix films being nominated for the Oscars: He believes projects viewed primarily on television should be eligible for TV awards and not movie awards.