Apple’s focus on services grows more and more each year. These days, the company is cross-promoting its offerings with an all-in-one services bundle appropriately called Apple One. With it, users can pay a flat monthly fee for various perks, from additional iCloud storage to Apple TV+ and Apple Music.
Unwrapping the bundle
Originally launched in 2020, Apple One comes in three tiers: Individual ($20/£19 per month), Family ($26/£25), and Premier ($38/£37). Which one is right for you – if any – can be tricky to get your head around, so here’s the basic lowdown:
Every tier includes access to three complete media libraries: tunes from Apple Music, shows from Apple TV+, and games from Apple Arcade. The top-level Premier tier adds Apple News+ and Fitness+ into the mix, granting access to every paid Apple subscription in one. All services can be shared with up to five people via Family Sharing, unless you’re on the Individual tier.
Another variable to consider is the amount of iCloud storage included. Remember, all Apple customers get 5GB of storage for backups and photos completely free, but these days that can fill up very quickly. Each Apple One tier gives you even more to work with: 50GB, 200GB, and 2TB respectively. Bear in mind that storage will be split between anyone you’re sharing the membership with.
Is it worth it?
If you’re someone who’s already standing knee-deep in the Apple ecosystem, Apple One could well result in monthly savings while adding new services to your collection. The individual cost of these things is considerably higher than the Apple One bundle, no matter which tier you opt for.
But most importantly, Apple One simplifies things in a world of mounting subscriptions to keep track of. Apple is clearly trying to emulate some of the success of the all-in-one Amazon Prime platform, and for many users, signing up will make total sense.
That said, consider which of the services you actually need when working out cost-effectiveness. If you’ll never use Apple Arcade or Fitness+, disregard their cost when comparing with individual subscriptions. If you already use and love Spotify, Apple Music won’t be much use.
Many users won’t be interested in much more than Apple TV+ and slightly more iCloud storage, for example – and you can do that for a mere $11/month without the bundle.
You can register for Apple One here.