Apple One: Company bundles news, TV, iCloud and new fitness classes as part of subscription plan

(Apple)

Apple has launched “Apple One”, a subscription plan that bundles together its various services.

Users will be able to stick together its variety of different content offerings into one subscription, at a slightly cheaper rate.

The new plan was unveiled during a virtual event, named “Time Flies", at which it revealed new Apple Watches and iPads.

The decision to launch the bundle has already come under criticism from Spotify, who argued that Apple offering its Music and other subscriptions together is “unfair” and that its behaviour “threatens our collective freedoms to listen, learn, create, and connect”.

The new Apple One subscription begins with an “individual” membership. That costs $14.95, and includes Apple Music, TV+, its Arcade games service, as well as 50GB of iCloud storage.

A family membership costs $19.95 per month. That gives access to the same services, plus 200GB of iCloud storage, and can be shared by up to six family members.

Users can also pay more for the “Premier” membership. That costs $29.95 each month, and adds News+, its new Fitness+ workout classes, and 2TB of iCloud.

The pricing in the UK will be the same number in pounds.

It will be available this autumn, Apple said. It will be available in 100 countries and regions when it launches.

At the beginning, the Premier plan will only be available in Australia, Canada, the UK and US, since News+ is only available in those countries so far.

Users will get 30 days free for their first month, though Apple specific that was only for services those users do not already have.

“Apple One makes enjoying Apple subscription services easier than ever, including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud, and more,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, in a statement. “With Apple One, you can access the best of Apple entertainment across all your favourite devices with one simple subscription.” 

Apple said that the individual plan offers savings of up to £6 per month, compared with buying the services individually. The premier plan represents a reduction of £22 per month, if users were already buying all of the subscriptions included in that plan on a monthly basis.