Last week, reports emerged that Apple will, in various forms, extend the free trial of Apple TV+ until February 2021. In some ways, it is a nice gesture from Apple as people spend more and more time watching TV at home as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. It is also, quite legitimately, a way of building goodwill and attracting eyeballs for the service following delays to some shows.
It’s All About the Bundle
But there is another element too. The rollout of the Apple One services bundle is expected in the very near future – we were told ‘the fall’ when it was originally announced. I expect that we will hear more details at the ‘Hi, Speed’ event Tuesday.
Apple TV+ is a core part of all tiers of Apple One. By expanding the free trial period, Apple is in some ways helping tie up loose ends, making it easier for users to jump into a bundle. Users can lineup when all their current subscriptions end and move into a bundle without the irritation of double-paying for a service for one month and making sure they are getting the best value for money.
Counting The Cost of Apple One and TV+
There are also other issue cost issues. Here’s an example I think could be fairly common. Your free year of Apple TV+ subscription was due to end in November 2020, because you signed up as soon as it arrived. You currently also have Music and 50GB of iCloud storage, both paid for monthly. Therefore, you are paying a total of $10.98 per month, rising to $15.97 as soon as you start paying for streaming. Therefore, you can either choose to pay for the entry-level bundle at $14.95 per month and effectively get Apple Arcade for free, although you’re similarly paying for TV+ when you technically don’t need to. Alternatively, if you’re not that interested in Arcade, you can wait until your extended free year is over and then sign-up for the bundle to start in February, in which case you’re saving $1 per month on the services you do use. For every month you delayed getting Apple TV+ your free year overlaps more with the extension, making the move to a bundle more compelling.
However, my quick maths, suggests to me that extended free trial of TV+ is the least off-putting if you want a higher-end bundle. Currently, 1TB of iCloud ($9.99 per month), News+ ($9.99 per month), Arcade ($4.99 month) costs $24.97 – rising to $29.96 when you start paying for TV+. Not only does it mean the premier tier of Apple One is exceptional value from the outset, it means that you’re still getting that value for money even if you’re technically paying for TV+ during the 15-month free year. This is because the Premier Tier includes 2TB of storage and Fitness plus. If you want either the extra memory or Fitness+ you’re (probably) still doing better in a bundle.
Even if you’re currently paying for TV+ you are reportedly going to get reimbursed for November, December, and January. That’s credit you could spend on… the Apple One bundle. In this scenario, you get a month of the lowest tier free and Apple has you signed up.
TBC…
Of course, it all remains to be seen what Apple will actually announce. Even the extension of the free TV+ has not been confirmed yet. However, if things play out in a manner similar to those examples, it seems that it is, in part, designed to help encourage users to get a bundle, especially a higher-tier one.
This is the argument that salespeople will often use, “look how much you are saving over getting all of these separately.” The question consumers need to remember, with the Apple bundle, or any other offer like this, is “but would I get all of them separately?” In my case I don’t want News+ or Music. Take those out of the equation and the value changes significantly.