Apple jumps in
Tech giant launches music streaming service,
Apple has unveiled a new music streaming service that takes aim at rivals including Spotify, offering Apple Music on a free three-month trial in more than 100 countries starting this summer with support for Android mobile devices coming in the fall.
Jimmy Iovine, who joined the Cupertino, Calif.based tech giant when Apple bought Beats Electronics last year, said the aim is to offer a simple, “elegant” and affordable service. Apple Music will match rivals’ $9.99 (U.S.) single monthly subscription price after the trial and introduce a $14.99 per month family plan.
Iovine said the new app focuses on exclusive content and customized playlists drawn up by music experts. The app includes a service that allows fans to exchange photos and videos of musicians called Connect.
Leveraging its more than 800 million users with iTunes accounts, Apple aims to sign up 100 million subscribers. Spotify, Pandora, Deezer and other streaming services together had 41 million U.S. subscribers in 2014. Spotify has more than 60 million global users with about a quarter paying $9.99 a month for the ad-free subscription.
Apple Music will be available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC starting June 30 and on Apple TV and Android phones in the autumn.
Apple said the iOS 9 operating system upgrade will roll out in the fall. Other announcements include:
The new Apple News app will use text, video and photo content from partners such as ESPN and Bloomberg. Apple says it has worked with leading organizations to bring stories to the app that will initially be offered in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia.
Software refinements will bring multi-tasking to the iPad so that scrolling an app from the side brings up other apps. A picture-in-picture mode for video is being added, along with a split-screen view, and users will be able to watch video in a window.
Operating software upgrades will let Apple Watch users create custom photo faces and allow developers to fashion so-called “complications” that assemble information under various categories. New Siri controls are included, along with an updated mail app. The operating system will allow wearers to reply to email. With native app support, third-party fitness apps will work without a phone nearby.
Apple Pay will launch in the U.K. next month. As well, mobile card-reader giant Square will offer a new reader this fall that supports Apple Pay. Trader Joe’s and J.C. Penney have been added to the list of merchants supporting the platform. The maps app is being updated to support public transit directions.
Apple unveiled Mac OS X 10.11. The operating system contains improvements such as cursor and spotlight search panel resizing, the auto-arranging of app windows and natural-language search integration.
A proactive assistant leverages Siri and a user’s data to push time- and location-sensitive content, and make content and app suggestions. Third-party apps for the Apple Watch have been limited as extensions of apps that run on the iPhone.