Apple Daily: HBO Cable-Free Service May Launch on Apple TV; Apple Watch Wins Award

When the next season of HBO's Game of Thrones comes out next month, you may be able to watch with without a cable subscription on your Apple TV! In other news, the Apple Watch has already won a major award and it isn't even out yet.

HBO's New Standalone Streaming Service May Launch on Apple TV

If all goes well, Apple TV could be one of the first devices to support HBO's upcoming standalone streaming service next month, according to the International Business Times. The news was also confirmed later in a tweet from CNBC. The service, called "HBO Now" in contrast to HBO Go (which requires a cable subscription), is expected to go live with the launch of Game of Thrones' fifth season.

Apple has been "aggressive" in its talks, according to the report, likely because HBO Now would be the first major streaming service by a traditional cable programming company that doesn't require a subscription to an actual cable service. As such, it would put Apple TV that much closer to realizing the dream of becoming a true standalone entertainment device.

There's still no confirmed timetable for the service's release (apart from coming out sometime before the airing of the new season of Game of Thrones), but it's expected to require a $15 per month fee for access. The report also mentions that HBO or Apple may create a second app for the service so as to avoid some confusion with HBO Go.

Apple Watch Wins Oscar-Level Design Award

The Apple Watch may still not have an official release date aside from the vague "April" that's been tossed around for the past few months, but the highly anticipated piece of wearable tech is already winning prestigious awards. In fact, it's arguably already won the most prestigious of them all. Today word dropped that the Apple Watch has already won an iF Design Gold Award (from International Forum Design) for 2015, which is occasionally referred to as the "Oscar of design."

"The idea of combining classic materials such as leather and metal with state-of-the-art technology to create a very individual fashion accessory has resulted in a delightful product offering a holistic user experience," read the jury's statement. "The Apple Watch scores highly for each design detail and is an altogether extraordinary piece of design. For us, it is already an icon."

A total of 1,624 products were up for this year's award, but only 75 walked away with the coveted "gold" distinction. The Apple Watch was one of only two telecommunications devices that walked away with the award, out of a possible 64.

The iF awards have been around since 1953, and Apple has won a staggering 125 awards from the society since it was first nominated in 1985. Of those, 44 have been gold awards.

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