What is a service? That's how Tim Cook began today's conference, explaining in detail how the company has extended its products beyond just hardware. Maps, Siri, apps, music… but the best was yet to come. Apple unveiled new services today, offering even more on-demand content to its users. For a price, of course.
Another fee per month
https://youtu.be/95FuVib8mcY
Apple Arcade
The new services presented by the company have one thing in common: a monthly fee that you'll need to pay to access their content. Between the three, they offer games, magazines, and movies. The first, Apple Arcade , provides access to a vast catalog of over 100 games that are ad-free, require no internet connection, and can be played on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Furthermore, the service can be shared among up to six family members, so you only need to pay one subscription for six people to play. It's an excellent idea for avid gamers; however, the company hasn't yet released details about the service's cost.
Apple News +
https://youtu.be/Im5c5WR9vMQ
On the other hand, we have Apple News+ . This was the first service presented at today's event, and its novelty was the addition of magazines. Apple News is a service that provides users with what Apple considers information from reliable sources. Apple News+ is different; it's a showcase of magazines that users can access freely by paying, again, a monthly subscription. In this case, there is a price. It will be $9,99, with the first month available completely free, and it will include renowned publications such as Fortune, People, National Geographic, Variety, Time, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and many more. The bad news? Once again, it's a service only available in the United States.
apple tv app
But the most anticipated announcement was related to content streaming. It was even said that it would be a direct competitor to Netflix, although details are still lacking before such a conclusion can be drawn. Perhaps this is because the strategy isn't what we had imagined. What Apple has done is present, on the one hand, its new Apple Channels service for the new Apple TV app , an app-based service that offers content from many other services available on the market.
It will bring together popular services like Hulu, ESPN+, ABC, NBC, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Showtime, CBS, and many more. Apple's idea is that you'll use your Apple ID to pay for subscriptions and have them all in one place. This centralization of streaming services will arrive in May.
Movies, series and documentaries with the Apple seal
https://youtu.be/RrdbT4hpwBk
Apple TV +
So, Apple won't have its own content? Not so fast. That's what Apple TV+ is for , a service that, surprise, will obviously be a paid subscription, and whose price we don't yet know . It will exclusively feature content developed by Apple and no other source, productions from industry giants like Steven Spielberg, JJ Abrams, and a large cast of actors who will bring to life new series and productions coming soon to the Apple TV+ catalog. We'll have to wait until the end of the year to learn more, so you can be sure that the new iPhone event will be the stage chosen to reveal the final details about its launch, which, by the way, will take place in more than 100 countries.
Apple Card as a form of payment
https://youtu.be/HAZiE9NtRfs
Far from being just another "one more thing" (it was presented at the beginning of the conference), this new Apple product has garnered considerable attention due to its unique nature. It's essentially a credit card like any other bank's, though not quite, as it has its own distinctive features. This Apple Card stands out for its excellent payment terms, the absence of any fees, and the complete security of your data, which will not be sold to third parties or used for advertising purposes. The service is designed to further expand Apple Pay, a payment method with a rapidly growing user base (already reaching 2.000 billion transactions), allowing you to forget about all those high-fee credit cards from other banks.
It works similarly to a Revolut or N26 card , but in this case, it offers a 2% bonus on every purchase you make with it, increasing to 3% if you make a purchase in an Apple store or using an Apple service. In addition to the digital version configured in Apple Pay, the Apple Card also exists in a physical format: a beautiful white titanium card that will instantly appeal to lovers of minimalist design. The most striking feature of this card, however, is that it has no number, CVV code, or PIN. Purchases made with this card earn a 1% bonus, which is stored in your virtual account and credited daily. This product will arrive in the United States in a few months, so we don't yet know exactly when it will be available in other markets.
The danger of subscriptions
The subscription trend is starting to get scary. Manufacturers are venturing into paid services, which is great, however, the market is becoming dangerously fragmented. With Disney going solo and abandoning Netflix, a new competitor has entered the scene with Apple TV+, which will have to prove whether its content truly lives up to the hype. Let's not forget other services like HBO or Amazon Prime, not to mention the gaming options with Apple Arcade, and the music options with Spotify and Apple Music as the most prominent. Remember how we have to pay for water and electricity at home? Exactly. Do the math. We'll see when these services become essential to our daily lives.