Apple streaming event sees launch of TV, news and games subscriptions – but few details about how they will work

Cost and release date were little discussed, and host of original content was barely seen

Apple has launched a whole host of new services, intended to make more money from the people who have already bought its products.

In what was hailed as one of the most significant Apple events in years, the company did not reveal new products or software but instead a range of premium services, intended to counter a drop in iPhone sales by bringing in revenues after people buy their products. There are news subscriptions, TV and games – as well as a new way to pay for anything, with a titanium credit card.

The highlight of the announcement was Apple TV+, a streaming service built to compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Apple invited many of the world’s biggest stars and directors on stage to talk about its TV shows, on which the company is thought to have spent billions of dollars.

A similar paid-for and ad-free subscription service for news and for games was also announced. A monthly fee will allow unlimited access to the services.

Apple tried to link the various announcements together through references to its corporate principles: stressing a focus on privacy, quality, and ways that the various products are built to work with the company’s hardware and software.

But the announcements were also linked together in the fact that few details were announced about any of them. Apple only revealed the cost and release date of one of the new products, and gave little information about how many of them will work.

For its video service, for instance, it revealed a host of stars to make a wide variety of videos, from Steven Spielberg producing a sci-fi series to shows featuring the likes of Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. But, during the event, those stars simply discussed the TV shows they were planning to make, and Apple revealed only the slightest glimpse of the videos.

It did not say how much the subscription service will cost, or how much it would charge for the “channels” feature that will allow people to watch films and TV shows from other companies such as HBO. It also didn’t say when the service or those shows would arrive, beyond a suggestion that they would come in the autumn.

The company also announced the release of “Apple Arcade”, a gaming subscription. People will pay one flat fee in exchange for the ability to download and play more than 100 exclusive games through the App Store on the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac.

It did not say how much that would cost, or exactly when it would be available in autumn.

Apple’s news subscription service, News+, was the only one of the premium subscriptions described in any detail and the only one that will arrive soon – today. Apple will charge people $9.99 (£7.50) for as much of the 300 magazines and various newspapers as people want to read, and they will be able to share that subscription with their family.

However, it will initially only be available in the US and Canada. It will launch in the UK and Australia later this year, it said.

Even that announcement was met with some confusion, as it became clear that it wasn’t certain how much of the publications would be included. The Wall Street Journal was announced as part of the scheme – but it was not initially certain how much of its content would be included. A subscription to the paper alone can cost as much as $37 (£28) a month.

Whatever the price of those services, they can all be paid for through Apple’s first ever credit card, named Apple Card, which is both a virtual payment system and a real card, made of titanium, and laser-etched with its owner’s name. It will initially pay people to use that card, giving them as much as 3 per cent cash for purchases.