From books to wellbeing, here’s how Apple could double Apple One’s services count
Apple One bundles key Apple services – Music, TV+, Arcade, Fitness+, News+, iCloud+ – as a single subscription. You get more bang per buck. Apple gets more subscribers. Win-win.
The content within these services is regularly updated, giving you a constant stream of new albums, TV shows, movies, games, magazines, news stories, and exercise routines. Even iCloud+ has received new features to help protect your privacy.
However, since 2020, there have been no major new services added to the mix. In this feature, we ask what Apple could offer next.
Classical music
Apple bought classical music streaming service Primephonic in 2021 and we were promised an “amazing new classical music experience” this year. It seems a cert for Apple One, but its form is unknown.
Primephonic, prior to Apple buying it
Apple Music is complicated enough, and classical is best presented and experienced in a different way from other music. A separate app that works with Apple Music and Apple One subscriptions seems likely.
Books+
Apple News+ provides fast access to hundreds of newspapers and magazines, but Apple hasn’t yet taken on the likes of Amazon and Scribd with an all-you-can-eat books service.
The snag is Apple’s long been an also-ran in this field and might not see Books+ as a worthwhile investment. Still, with the competition in books (and comics) offering lackluster user experiences, Apple could clean up.
Audiobooks+
In a similar manner to books, Apple might not fancy taking on audiobook giants like Audible at their own game. But the company presumably has the deals and infrastructure in place, since you can already buy audiobooks in Apple Books.
An Audible subscription gives you plenty of audiobooks to choose from
Apple is also big on accessibility, and so the idea of creating a leading audiobook subscription service might appeal to serve those who need rather than merely enjoy the format.
Podcasts+
Apple has started dabbling with podcast subscriptions – which somewhat goes against the ethos of the form, but everyone’s at it. So how could premium podcasts find themselves a part of Apple One?
This one’s an awkward fit, but Apple could allow podcast creators to opt-in and give them a cut – much like it does with News+. This feels unlikely unless podcast subscriptions grow substantially.
Learning+
Apple One until now has primarily been about entertainment or ‘bettering’ yourself through awareness (news) and exercise. A potential next step is learning.
Khan Academy educates you for free
Apple’s offered education services in the past, mostly for existing students and teachers. The company could go wider, seeking to help anyone learn more easily. However, that’s something Apple might prefer to not gate behind a subscription, instead taking a leaf from Khan Academy and making its lessons available to all.
Wellbeing+
Apple’s approach to mindfulness and wellbeing has been haphazard. There’s the odd app or feature – and mindfulness is a small component of Fitness+ – but little coherence.
This market is lucrative though, which might prove tempting. Throw in mood logging and journaling and Apple could justify a standalone Wellbeing+ service – and add it to the highest Apple One tier, alongside Fitness+.