After flooding the planet with its iPhone, iPad and other Mac products, Apple decided to tackle both content and services industries. On the menu, a new kind of credit card, but also a service that could compete with Netflix, a kiosk to read newspapers and magazines, among other services.
On Monday, Apple held its spring keynote from its headquarters in Cupertino, USA, and rather than introducing new devices, as usual, this event was an opportunity for the company to focus on content. Apple unveiled new services, with a credit card under Apple Pay, but also a physical card, exclusive series, and films as well as a pay-per-view purchase of many third-party services and channels, and finally a subscription to many newspapers and magazines.
A new kind of credit card
The card offers a cashback system, which allows you to recover 1% of the amount spent using the physical card, 2% of expenses made with Apple Pay, or 3% of purchases made at Apple. Of course, the Apple Card being a credit card, it will be necessary to refund the amounts spent.
For this purpose, the Apple Wallet application offers a simple interface, with the total due and the quantity of interest, decreasing according to the total refunded. Apple uses the machine learning to categorize expenses, and a simple press displays the exact location of the payment in Maps. Apple Card will be launched in the United States this summer.
Apple TV+: the answer to Netflix
Apple has unveiled two new developments in television. First, a new version of the Apple TV application, which integrates its new Apple TV Channels service. The latter provides access to a range of channels but also to video-on-demand services. It will allow you to subscribe individually to channels, rather than to third-party packages. The offer includes services such as HBO, Showtime, but also Amazon Prime and Hulu.
The second new feature is the launch of its video streaming service, called Apple TV+. It will be exclusive content, like Netflix. Apple TV+ will work with a monthly subscription, and movies and series will be streamed or offline. The firm is keeping the exact nature of the content secret for the time being and has not yet announced any titles. Nevertheless, Apple has gathered famous names such as Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams, Jennifer Aniston and also Reese Witherspoon. Apple will launch the service this fall in more than 100 countries and, rates are still unknown.
Apple News universal kiosks
The latest new service announced is a “News Netflix” for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. For only $9.99 per month, Apple News+ offers unlimited access to more than 300 press titles. The offer includes publications such as the Wall Street Journal, The Times, Los Angeles Times, but also Vogue, Rolling Stone, National Geographic.