Apple has reported record growth to its services division, despite the coronavirus crisis.
The company’s services category is made up of the App Store, Mac App Store, Apple Music, iTunes, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, as well as Apple Pay, Apple Card, and Apple Care.
In its latest earnings report, Apple reported significant growth across the range as consumers stay at home to avoid the spread of the coronavirus, and thus spend more time buying content.
Combined, the company’s services division generated $13.3 billion in the second fiscal quarter of 2020, up from the $11.5 million a year ago.
This represents an impressive 17% year-over-year growth, demonstrating Apple’s new pivot towards services is working.
Last year, the company introduced a series of new paid-for services including Apple Card and Apple Arcade, all designed to hook consumers into the Apple ecosystem and get them to spend more with the Cupertino giant.
Some services, like Apple TV+, have been offered for free for the first year, but after that, they’ll cost just $4.99 in the United States.
According to Tim Cook, Apple news reached a new milestone of 125 million monthly active readers, perhaps as more consumers seek out quality content from premium publishers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The company did not confirm, however, how many readers its premium Apple News+ service had attracted – some question the longevity of the service.
In other Apple news, the App Store reportedly saw “double-digit” growth in the three months and, understandably, FaceTime and iMessage saw increased use as people stay at home.
Are you pleased to see Apple exceed its expectations during the coronavirus pandemic? Let us know your thoughts on Apple Services and where you’d like to see them head next.
