HBO's Standalone Service Will be $15/mo, Available First on Apple TV

If you're one of the many cord-cutters who were looking forward to HBO's standalone streaming service, you now have a few more details to get excited about...or dislike.

At today's Apple conference, HBO made their own presentation about HBO Now, which will be available without needing the cable subscription that the current model, HBO Go, requires. The service will cost $14.99 a month, roughly the same cost as HBO when it's added on to a cable subscription, and will be available to early-bird subscribers in time for the release of the new season of "Game of Thrones" in early April.

If you're wondering why HBO made this announcement at Apple's event, therein lies the catch: HBO Now will initially be Apple-exclusive, meaning you'll need an Apple TV, iPad, iPhone or other Apple device in order to use it.

After that initial exclusivity period, HBO Now will open up to other devices. However, no announcement has been made yet as to when that will happen, so "Game of Thrones" fans who don't use Apple products might not get it until midway through the season, or even after the finale.

Still, the prospect of having HBO and not being forced into a cable subscription is an attractive one, and though the price point is higher than Netflix or Hulu Plus, HBO Now will consistently have a high-quality collection of movies, comedy specials, documentaries and series available.