Apple announces gaming, TV, magazine subscription services

Apple has announced three new subscription services, including a TV service, gaming bundle, and all-you-can-read magazine subscription. This was announced on Monday at Apple’s campus in Cupertino, California. This is considered as a new strategic move for the iPhone maker. Apple is aimed to emphasize digital content and services to make up for a slump in smartphone sales. Director Steven Spielberg, TV host Oprah Winfrey and Hollywood stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carrell made appearances at the event, which puts Apple in competition with Netflix, Google, Amazon and others in various segments.

The Apple TV+ service—an on-demand, ad-free subscription service launching this year in 100 countries—will compete with services such as Netflix and Hulu with Apple investing heavily in its own content, while upgrading its TV application for third-party services.

“We believe deeply in the power of creativity,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said at the event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, without revealing key details.

“Great stories can change the world. We feel we can contribute something important to our culture and to our society through great storytelling.”

Meanwhile, a new Apple News+ service at a cost of $9.99 per month will include the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal, digital news sites and more than 300 magazine titles including Rolling Stone, Time, Wired and The New Yorker.

“We think Apple News+ will be great for customers and great for publishers,” Cook said.

Apple also launched its own credit card called Apple Card that will be available to customers this summer. Apple users will be able to sign up on their iPhone in the Apple Wallet app and get a digital card that they can use anywhere Apple Pay is accepted “within minutes.” The card is partnered with Goldman Sachs to bring out a new suite of functionality.

Apple Card also offers a clearer and more compelling rewards program than other credit cards with Daily Cash, which gives back a percentage of every purchase as cash on customers’ Apple Cash card each day.