You might have to wait a while to tune into Apple's streaming service

While it hasn't officially unveiled the service yet, there's no doubt that Apple is working on its own Netflix rival that might well include subscription bundles for digital news and magazines too – but when will it open its doors?

Those in the know say Apple is planning a launch event for March 25, when it's going to unveil some of the new digital services and bundles it's been working on. However, a new report suggests the streaming video service won't go live until later in the year.

That's per insider sources speaking to Variety: they say clips of new programs will be shown off in March, but the Apple Netflix won't be accessible until the summer or the fall of 2019.

Apple is also said to be working on the HomePod 2
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Apparently the new Apple TV streaming service is going to include a mixture of original Apple shows and content provided by the likes of HBO, which you can buy as add-ons – that may be one reason why we'll have to wait few months to see it.

Look at the stars

We've seen Apple-made shows before, but the new service is set to be much bigger and more ambitious than anything that's gone before. It's being partly seen as an attempt to make up for slowing hardware sales.

And apparently Apple is ploughing in more than $1 billion to make sure its streaming platform is a success. We've also heard rumors that it might be readying a games subscription service as well.

Stars such as Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, and JJ Abrams are being tipped to turn up at the March launch event, so it sounds like it's going to be a star-studded occasion – even if the service doesn't go live until later in the year.

Recent rumors suggest Apple might also be showing off some updated AirPods at the event, plus the long-awaited Airpower wireless charging mat, but it sounds very much like the focus of the event will be on digital services rather than hardware.