Apple’s ‘Planet of the Apps’ reality show adds Gwyneth Paltrow and will.i.am

By Stephanie Topacio Long August 4, 2016

There (probably) won’t be any hairy beasts in Apple’s first reality series Planet of the Apps, but there will be Goop and a Black-Eyed Pea. Gwyneth Paltrow, will.i.am, and investor Gary Vaynerchuk have joined the upcoming show to serve as mentors and advisers, reports Deadline.

The oh-so-cleverly titled series centers on app developers looking to gain notice from venture capitalists. The 100 participants, who will be hand-picked after a thorough selection process, will get the benefit of the three business-minded mentors’ experience and expertise as the show progresses. The number will be whittled down over the course of the season as they all angle for a feature position in the App Store, among other benefits.

“Developing and launching a business based on your own original idea can be exhilarating, but intimidating,” Paltrow said. “This is a great opportunity to be part of a series that lets us use our experiences to help app developers break through and create viable businesses that will impact peoples’ lives.”

will.i.am also highlighted how partaking in the show could benefit developers. “As tech drives modern pop culture now more than ever, we are giving a platform for the next generation of culture makers to shine,” he said.

Contestants will have to have created something impressive in order to gain a spot on the show. The producers are looking for developers who can “shape the future, solve real problems, and inspire change within our daily lives.” It is a tall order, but given the amount of cool apps out there, we doubt they’ll have problems finding qualified participants.

In addition to serving as mentors, both Paltrow and will.i.am will executive produce alongside Ben Silverman, Howard Owens, Craig Armstrong, Rick Ringbakk, and Charles Watcher. The latter three will double as showrunners. The series is co-produced by Propagate and Apple.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Stephanie Topacio Long

Contributor

Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…

Mobile

Apple secretly adds AR-powered FaceTime eye correction in iOS 13

Woman looking at iPhone.

While we knew iOS 13 was going to contain a lot of useful additions outside of the headline features like Dark Mode, we didn't expect Apple to add AR-powered eye correction to FaceTime video calls. But that seems to be exactly what it's done in the most recent update for the iOS 13 public beta.

According to app designer Mike Rundle (and signal-boosted by the surprised folks on Reddit's Apple subreddit), the iOS 13 public beta now includes an option for "FaceTime Attention Correction." According to the feature's tooltip, turning this on will increase the accuracy of your eye contact with the camera during FaceTime video calls. What does that mean? AR black magic trickery, basically.

Mobile

Apple might have to open iPhone to other app stores — here’s what that means

iPhone and iPad rest on a table, each with the App Store open.

If you're an iPhone user, you get your apps from one place and one place only -- the App Store. That, however, could change if an antitrust lawsuit against the App Store ends up succeeding. The Supreme Court has allowed a lawsuit against Apple to move forward, suggesting that App Store rules could be considered monopolistic, and therefore Apple could be sued over the issue. The vote was 5-4, and the justices did not vote along party lines.

The case is Apple Inc. v. Pepper, and Apple initially argued that plaintiffs didn't have the right to sue Apple for being a monopoly, thanks to a 1977 ruling that said that you couldn’t sue for an antitrust case if you didn’t directly purchase goods from that company. Apple said because it only facilitates the sale of apps and as people aren’t buying apps directly from Apple itself, it falls under that category.

Entertainment

3 Hulu movies you need to stream this weekend (April 26-28)

Luke Kirby and Michelle Williams in Take This Waltz.

As you've probably noticed, this is the last weekend of April. That means Hulu is about to lose some of its best movies before the new titles arrive May 1. And while we've already shared five great movies leaving Hulu at the end of April, those aren't the only terrific titles going out the door.

That's why this week's picks for the three Hulu movies that you need to stream this weekend are off the beaten path from the films we've previously chosen for April. We've picked out a historical drama, a romantic dramedy, and a remix of a classic Charles Dickens story. But since these movies are only around until April 30, you should catch these flicks before they go off to some other streamer.
The Last Duel (2021)