The March 25th event showed us a new direction Apple is focusing in on.
Services
It's no news that iPhone sales have slowed down, so Apple is trying to get ahead of itself by adding to their streams of revenue and the new focus is on services. Services are becoming a huge portion of revenue for a lot of companies now, we all have at least one monthly subscription to something, *cough Netflix... and Apple has a very large user base, if you think about it, it’s like an untapped gold mine.
Here are all the announced Apple services coming soon
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is basically the Netflix or Hulu of Apple. They're promising los of original content from some of the greatest minds of Hollywood. Steven Spielberg jumped on stage to announce his partnership along with other well-known actors like Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jason Momoa, and Steve Carell. At this point in time, we do not have a price for the service but I would take a guess that it will be around $10-$20 per month to stay competitive with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.
I am definitely excited about the shows and movies that will come to their service because of all the talent they have involved. Take a look at the intro they made showcasing the storytellers who will be involved.
Apple TV App
Coming a bit sooner than Apple TV+ is the newly revamped Apple TV App. Slated to release in May 2019, alongside iOS 12.3 (currently in beta testing), the new Apple TV App is completely overhauled with a streamlined interface across all devices and lots of curated content, based on what you watch it will learn what you like and suggest new shows for you. They are partnering will all the major streaming services, besides Netflix 😭, to integrate their shows into the app so you instantly have access to everything, all from one app. Each of these streaming services will be listed as Channels, you can subscribe to them directly with Apple if don't already have access through your TV provider. All channels will have support for on and offline viewing at incredible picture quality and sound, according to Apple. Another interesting note, you won't need an Apple TV or iOS device to get access to the new Apple TV App. If you have a newer Samsung, LG, Sony, or Vizio TV you'll be able to download the app, an absolute first from Apple. Don't have a shiny new TV? Well, Amazon Fire Stick and Roku will also be getting the Apple TV App, like seriously is this even Apple... That news was the most shocking to me because Apple isn't one to have their products on non-Apple devices but if they want people to signup you have to give them choices, this is definitely the right move on Apple.
Apple News+
Apple News+ is a new service to get all the magazine and newspapers you could ever ask for, across all your iOS devices. You will have access to over 300 popular magazines, leading newspapers, and digital publishers all from the Apple News app. Of course, there will be curated content for you based on your interests and what you’re reading. Apple News+ is available now for $9.99 through the Apple News App. To get access make sure you’re on iOS 12.2 and macOS 10.14.4 \
Apple Arcade
If you’ve heard of Xbox Game pass then you’ll understand how Apple Arcade works. Across all your devices, iOS, tvOS & macOS, you’ll have access to a library of games ready to download and play at your disposal. There will be some exclusives that you wouldn’t even have access to through the App Store by itself, which some say is a bit controversial. Apple is said to be helping game developers bring stellar titles to the service and also to encourage more developers with fewer resources to join in and get their ideas into full production. We don’t have a price yet but we have a few titles and developers that will be on the service. We should expect Apple Arcade to come this Fall 2019, probably releasing with the next iPhones.
Apple Card
Apple Card, a new type of credit card. Apple is aiming to change the way credit cards work. Apple wants to make sure and help Apple Card users control their debt and reduce the amount of interest they pay. They'll give you an easy to understand diagram that shows you how much you'll need to pay to avoid interest charges. Transactions will be more obvious and detailed, instead of having a bunch of merchant codes and jumbled letters and numbers, they will use Apple Maps data to display the exact name of the merchant you paid at and even provide the locations of the stores so you know where your card is being used. Everything works within the Wallet App, here you can manage and pay your card. Using machine learning, all processed on your phone and never sent to Apple's servers (as they're saying), you will be able to manage your budget and spending in a beautifully intuitive interface.
Apple Card also comes with a daily cash rewards program:
- 3% On Apple purchases, in stores or online
- 2% On all purchases made with Apple Pay
- 1% On all purchases made with their Titanium card
Daily cash is automatically added to your Apple Cash account and can be used immediately to send money to friends and family or to deposit to your bank of choice.
Of course, Apple Pay isn't available everywhere, so Apple made sure that their real card is one that stands out. Made out of Titanium, this card only has your name, an EMV chip, and a mag stripe. That's it. No numbers, security codes, or expiration dates just a super clean Titanium card.
Where this card shines is in the security department. A unique card number is created on the iPhone and stored on the devices Secure Element, every time a purchase is made a unique dynamic security code authenticates the purchases along with Face ID or Touch ID. With this design Apple does not have access to where you shop and how much you spend, sounding a lot like how crypto works 👀
The card will be a MasterCard in partnership with Goldman Sachs, the first consumer credit card they have ever offered. Touting no hidden fees, late fees, or annual fees. Fee's, in general, are nonexistent on this card, of course besides interest charges.
So of all the Apple services announced which one(s) do you see yourself signing up for? I'm personally still in limbo on this one so we'll have to wait and see as these services are released. The only one you can get right now is Apple News+.
Let me know which ones you are most interested in down in the comments.
*All images provide courtesy of Apple Newsroom for editorial use.
