Tracking games for sports bettors might have gotten a lot easier.
Technology company Apple launched a new product on Wednesday that isn’t trying to change the game when it comes to getting sports scores and odds. It’s just trying to enhance it.
Apple Sports is now available for download in the Apple Store to provide a simple, streamlined way of obtaining scores, schedules, stats, and standings.
While Apple isn’t getting into the sports betting industry, the new app does come with the sports bettor and their experience in mind. Apple Sports will offer live odds via a partnership with DraftKings, as reported by Sportico.
When a user clicks on a matchup, a list of betting odds is displayed at the top containing the moneyline, total points, and spread for each team.
Users can turn the odds off or on in the app’s settings.
Need for speed
Where bettors will be most impressed is with the app’s primary premise.
Apple is entering a competitive market with many well-established sports media sites, like ESPN and CBS Sports, providing the same product on mobile apps.
Where Apple believes it will differ is with speed. Instead of having someone manually log scoring in live games, Apple Scores draws from numerous technology providers to give real-time, play-by-play data that is expected to be faster than televised games, which are on a delay.
“You can obviously get scores in many places today, but I don’t think anybody is focused and dedicated on the concept of live and making it simple, clean, fast like we’ve done,” Apple senior vice president of services Eddy Cue said to Sportico. “We’ve spent an incredible amount of engineering on this.”
Apple also believes a simple, easy-to-use, less-cluttered interface than other apps will appeal to users, who can follow their favorite teams and leagues to get instant updates.
What’s on it?
As of now, Apple Sports is focusing on popular in-season sports.
The NBA, NHL, and men’s and women’s college basketball are already on there. Professional soccer makes up a large component of offerings as the app gives scores to MLS, Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Ligue 1, Serie A, and Liga MX.
MLB and its teams are already included in the favorites list with spring training games getting started later this month.
The NFL and college football, as well as other leagues, are expected to be added later.
As for now, there are no stories associated with the app like you’d find on a major sports network.
Apple Sports is also linked to Apple TV so if a user sees a game they want to watch, it’ll take them to live streaming apps.
