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| Apple is placing greater emphasis on offering digital content and services as the once-sizzling smartphone market cools |
Apple on Tuesday launched a smartphone-generation credit card in the US and moved closer to hitting the hot streaming television market with a new subscription service.
The moves
come as Apple shifts to emphasize digital content and other services to offset
a pullback in the once-sizzling smartphone market.
Arrival of
an Apple Card tailored particularly for iPhone fans came with reports that the
technology titan is keen to launch its TV+ streaming service before Disney goes
live with a rival in November.
Apple TV+
will debut with a small selection of original content and a possible
subscription price of $9.99, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with
the matter.
The price
would be more than that charged by powerhouse players Netflix and Amazon Prime
as well as the announced subscription cost of a Disney+ service to launch on
November 12.
California-based
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment about TV+.
Spending
on shows
Apple has
reportedly allocated more than $6 billion for TV+ original shows, a small
number of which would be available when the service goes live.
Ads for
"The Morning Show" starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and
Steve Carrell began appearing on Twitter.
The show
was described as "a high-stakes drama that pulls back the curtain on the
morning news" coming this fall to those with Apple TV+ subscriptions.
With
Hollywood stars galore, Apple in March unveiled streaming video plans along
with news and game subscription offerings as part of an effort to shift its
focus to digital content and services to break free of its reliance on iPhone
sales.
The Apple
TV+ service, an on-demand, ad-free subscription service, will launch this year
in 100 countries, the company said at the event.
"We
feel we can contribute something important to our culture and to our society
through great storytelling," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said when the
service was announced.
Apple
revealed only a few of the programs in the works but announced collaborations
with celebrities on both sides of the camera including Octavia Spencer, J.J.
Abrams, Jason Momoa and M. Night Shyamalan.
The new
content will be available on an upgraded Apple TV app, which will be on smart
television sets and third-party platforms including Roku and Amazon's Fire TV.
Apple will
also allow consumers to subscribe to third-party services like HBO and Starz from
the same application.
Creative
Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi expected Apple TV+ to be more of a channel
at its streaming video service, similar to an HBO, than to be a
"one-stop-shop" that would stand alone.
Games and
Cards
Apple is
aiming to leverage its position with some 900 million people worldwide who use
at least one of its devices.
The company
has announced plans to launch a new game subscription service called Apple
Arcade internationally later this year.
"Apple
Arcade will introduce an innovative way to access a collection of brand new
games that will not be available on any other mobile platform or in any other
subscription service," Apple said in a statement.
The Apple
credit card that became available on Tuesday in a partnership with Goldman
Sachs was integrated with Apple Pay.
Those
signing up will get a physical card and one for a digital wallet, with the two
companies pledging to refrain from sharing or selling data to third parties for
marketing and advertising.
Apple Card
features that could shake up the credit card industry include not charging
fees, giving users cash back on purchases, and providing tools for people to
better manage their debt.
"Apple
Card delivers new experiences only possible with the power of iPhone," the
company said in an online post.
The card
uses machine learning and mapping capabilities to let users keep track of
spending, and provides payment options showing interest costs of various
options.
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