Apple is planning to bundle its services under one monthly package, according to 9to5Mac.
It has been rumored for a number of months that the company would bring together products like Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News, iCloud storage, and Apple Arcade under one low flat monthly fee to better serve consumers and compete against the likes of Amazon Prime.
Now, leaked documentation in iOS 13.5.5 confirms that the bundle plan will happen soon.
Several references to “bundle offers” and “bundle subscriptions” have been found in files that relate to the management system of Apple’s services, like Apple News+, and because the leak comes in the iOS 13 beta rather than iOS 14, it suggests a bundle could come soon.
Rumors have been circulating since 2018 that the company would bring together some of its popular products, like Apple Music and Apple Arcade, to further boost subscriber counts and counteract some of the less-successful services, namely Apple News+ and Apple TV+.
At present, consumers in the United States pay $9.99 per month for music, $9.99 per month for News+, $4.99 per month for Arcade, and $4.99 per month for Apple TV+, despite the service offering relatively little original content when compared with Netflix and Disney+.
By bundling these services together, Apple could offer consumers a generous discount and get them involved with all of the company’s subscription offerings, boosting adoption rates.
Last year, the company began holding talks with record labels about the possibility of a bundle.
At the time, record labels voiced their concerns over the proposals, perhaps due to Apple cutting their share of streaming revenue, so it’s unknown exactly what the proposal will look like.
It could be that Apple has to pay more for music and passes on those additional costs to consumers, with a bundle retailing for around $25 per month in the US.
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