Disney CEO Bob Iger RESIGNS from the Apple board of directors as he prepares to launch his company's rival streaming service

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Apple Inc said on Friday Walt Disney Co Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger had resigned from the company's board of directors on September 10 as the two companies prepare to take each other on head-to-head in the streaming television business.

Iger departed Apple the same day that the company launched Apple TV+, a $4.99-per-month service that will start in November and is filled with original shows that the company is spending billions of dollars in Hollywood to create. 

The price undercuts Disney, which earlier this year announced its own streaming service that will feature its iconic children's content and cost $6.99 per month.

Robert Iger, the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, resigned from Apple's board of directors on Tuesday, the iPhone maker announced on Friday. Iger is seen left in Hollywood, California in April. Apple CEO Tim Cook is seen right in Cupertino, California on Tuesday

Apple and Disney have long had a unique relationship among major American companies, dating back to when Apple co-founder Steve Jobs became a Disney director and major shareholder after the firm bought Pixar, the digital animation studio majority owned by Jobs. 

Iger became an Apple director shortly after Jobs' death in 2011.

DISNEY+  VS. THE OTHER SERVICES

Disney+

Price: $6.99 a month 

Movies:  Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, family friendly 20th Century Fox movies. 

The service has not announced how many films in total it expects to have when it launches. 

TV shows: Every episode of The Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle and others

Original content: 25 series and 10 films 

Netflix

Price: 8.99-$15.99 a month 

Movies: 3,861 

Shows: 1,686   

Original content: House of Cards, Orange is the New Block, Stranger Things, Narcos and hundreds more 

Hulu

Price: $8.99, $11.99 ad free

Movies: 1,646  

Shows: 1,891 

Original content: The Handmaid's Tale is by far its standout  

Amazon Prime 

Price: $8.99 or $12.99 for Prime membership 

Movies: 12,764 movies 

Shows: 2,077 

Original content: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Bosch, Goliath among others 

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'While we will greatly miss his contributions as a board member, we respect his decision and we have every expectation that our relationship with both Bob and Disney will continue far into the future,' Apple said in a statement.

Disney did not immediately return a request for comment.

In April, Disney unveiled its hotly anticipated streaming service, Disney+.

For $6.99 a month, subscribers will have access to a library of movies and films spanning five categories; Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. 

The family-friendly service will also include Fox films such as The Sound of Music and Malcolm in the Middle following the sale of 20th Century Fox to Walt Disney.

There will also be original content in the form of documentaries, films and TV shows. 

The service will become available in the US on November 12, but the UK launch date and price tag is unknown.

It is considerably cheaper than rival Netflix - which charges $13 a month for its most basic option - and will make a body of previously inaccessible content available to streaming customers. 

Disney now has a controlling stake in Hulu, another online streaming service, as a result of its deal with Fox. 

Its competitors now are Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. 

Disney's service is by far the cheapest at $6.99 a month. Amazon Prime Video subscribers pay either $8.99 for streaming alone or $12.99 for the entire Prime membership. 

Netflix's most basic option is $8.99 but its premium plan, which shows films and movies in Ultra 4K HD, is $15.99 a month. 

The service has been in the works for more than year, but it took until this past April for the longtime entertainment powerhouse to lay out plans for its attack on Netflix and a formidable cast of competitors, including Amazon, HBO Go and Showtime Anytime.

Like Netflix, Disney+ will be free of ads. Subscribers will be able to download all of the shows and movies on Disney's service to watch offline.

Netflix will still have a far deeper video programming lineup after spending tens of billions of dollars during the past six years on original shows such as House of Cards, Stranger Things and The Crown.

But Disney+ will be able to draw upon a library of revered films dating back several decades while it also forges into original programming. Its animated classics, including 'Aladdin' and 'The Jungle Book' will be available on the service when it launches. 

Apple has declared its own price war on Netflix and other streaming platforms after announcing its own TV subscription service will cost just $4.99 a month. 

The new Apple TV+ service will launch on November 1 in 100 countries around the world, including the US and UK.

Apple confirmed that both the TV+ and gaming service Arcade would cost $4.99 a month each at its highly-anticipated product launch event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, Silicon Valley on Tuesday. 

Months after revealing its most ambitious foray into services yet, Apple has finally disclosed more details on the TV+

Apple TV+ will offer a number of highly-anticipated exclusives, including 'See' featuring Jason Mamoa and drama series 'The Morning Show,' produced by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.

The TV subscription will be able to be shared between six people. 

Apple has been generating hype for the TV service in recent months with trailers to some highly-anticipated exclusives, including 'See' featuring Jason Momoa and drama series 'The Morning Show,' produced by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. 

The foray into TV and gaming comes as Apple tries to reduce its reliance on sales of the iPhone. 

This summer marked the first time since 2012 that the iPhone did not make up 50 per cent of Apple's revenue.

'Our mission is to bring you the best originals stories from the most creative minds in TV and film,' Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the event.

People who purchase Apple products will get a special perk: one year free subscription to Apple TV+.

This applies to iPhone, iMac, and Apple TV.

The TV service will launch with a slew of shows and movies from the get-go, and more will be added each month, Apple says.

Apple TV+ originals will be available to watch on or offline, and are ad-free.