Apple set to bundle music, TV & games with Apple One

Apple One – the tech giant’s much talked about subscription bundle of music, games, TV and news – could be in Australia by October in a global roll-out.

Speculation of the bundle began two years ago, but Bloomberg provided more details overnight, citing sources close to discussions.

The basic package will include Apple Music and Apple TV. A more expensive version will include the Apple Arcade gaming service.

The tier above that will incorporate Apple News+, followed by a pricier bundle,with extra iCloud storage for files and photos.

Apple’s upcoming virtual fitness service is also expected to be included.

According to Bloomberg, the idea of the bundle – which could save an American subscriber between $2 to $5 a month – is to create the same kind of brand loyalty that Amazon.com Inc. successfully generated with its Prime program which is offered at a monthly or yearly plan.

It will also shift the Cupertino, California-based tech titan’s reliance on device sales.

Apple’s services business grew to US$13.2 billion in net sales in the three- months between April to June 2020, a 15% jump from the same period in 2019.

It would be interesting to see what record companies make of seeing Apple Music discounts being offered.

The inclusion of gaming in Apple One comes at a time when Apple has removed Fortnite from its app store and devices.

The move came after an update to the hugely popular game allowed players to buy in-game currency at a lower rate from maker Epic Games and bypassing Apple.

Apple One’s mooted arrival in the southern spring comes after Australia was one of nine countries in which Google Play Pass was introduced in mid-July and which allowed users to access a selection of more than 400 apps without paying, free of ads and IAPs.