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The Latest from Apple:

Not Just a Hardware Company

· Apple

The Latest from Apple: Not Just a Hardware Company

Apple’s latest conference, held Monday, March 25th, revealed the company’s most recent push to become more integrated into the daily lives of its consumers. The presentation was headlined by the introduction of multiple new subscription services, such as Apple TV+, the Apple TV app, Apple News+, and Apple Arcade, as well as “new kind of credit card,” called Apple Card.

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, “We’ve been creating a growing collection of world-class services, and that’s what today is all about.”

Apple’s subscription service, Apple TV+, will include original TV shows and movies produced by Apple. The service aims to rival Netflix, HBO, and others in the field. Industry-wide names such as Steven Spielberg, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and more are working on Apple TV+ productions.

The Apple TV app introduces a new feature called “channels” that allows consumers to subscribe only to the services that they want to pay for. The app will offer users suggestions about other shows to watch and will allow content to be download offline.

Their foray into the financial market is going to differentiate Apple from the other tech companies. Although Samsung and Facebook have mobile payment functions similar to Apple Wallet, Apple is now the only one with a credit card. Apple’s goal “is to provide each customer with an interest rate which is lowest in the industry.” Apple Pay purchases with the card yield a higher cash-back rate than those made with their physical card, and users will receive “Daily Cash” back at rates of 2 percent for general purchases and 3 percent back on Apple purchases.

These software services should come as no surprise to anyone. As iPhone sales have recently stalled, Apple is looking to these service businesses as a way to drive the majority of revenue growth over the coming years.

Written by Gib Versfeld & Edited by Rachel Weissman & Alexander Fleiss

Sources:

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/25/apple-spring-tv-and-news-event-live-coverage.html

https://www.theringer.com/tech/2019/3/27/18284538/apple-card-credit-card-goldman-sachs-apple-pay

https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/25/u-s-cord-cutters-to-reach-33-million-this-year-faster-than-expected/

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/03/apple-unveils-apple-tv-plus-the-new-home-for-the-worlds-most-creative-storytellers/

https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/25/18281243/apple-tv-plus-app-explained-features-subscription-video-service-shows-originals-channels