Apple One

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Since Apple and the rest of the civilized world is taking a holiday break, we’re spending the majority of the show on our final picks for the best and worst of 2023.

Also on The CultCast:

• The U.S. ban on the import and sales of Apple Watch takes another weird twist.
• Former Apple design chief Jony Ive lures another former colleague away from Cupertino. This time, the goal is to build AI hardware for OpenAI.
• Amazon Prime Video’s plan to add commercials is a major bummer.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

The cost of watching Apple TV+ series and movies just went up 40%. A monthly subscription is now $9.99.

The price for Apple Arcade, Apple News+ and Apple One also increased. But the cost of other services, like Apple Music, remains the same.

Apple plans to raise the prices of some of its subscription services by $1 to $3 each, reports indicated Monday. The services include Apple TV+, Apple Music and the Apple One subscription bundle.

Users should see the price increases, listed below, with their next subscription renewal.

Verizon could soon become the first U.S. carrier to bundle an Apple One subscription for free with one of its plans. The network operator reportedly plans to announce the offer alongside the iPhone 14 series.

Apple One subscription pricing starts at $14.95 per month in the United States for a single user.

Apple has rebranded its Apple Music Live series and kicks off a new season with a live performance by Harry Styles in New York City on Friday, May 20.

Apple Music subscribers can tune into the live show and enjoy a seven-part video interview with Styles anytime.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP of Services, is reportedly looking to restructure the company’s offerings to make a more significant push in streaming and advertising.

Apple’s services business has been growing rapidly over the last few years. It currently boasts more than 825 million paid subscribers.

With Apple Fitness+ set to launch Monday, a handful of early reviews say the subscription service is a winner that makes fitness fun.

If you’ve got an Apple Watch and access to gym equipment in your home, it’s practically a no-brainer at $9.99 a month. Could this be a Peloton beater?

Apple is now offering new Apple News+ subscribers an extended three-month trial. The deal is available from today through Monday, November 30, in all four countries currently supported by Apple News+.

Apple’s bundle subscription package Apple One launches Friday. There are three configurations on offer. Here’s what you get for your money (and, most importantly, how much you can save).

The Apple One subscription bundle service promises to make your monthly Apple subs easier by rolling them into a simple, one-off payment. But what if your existing subscriptions, such as Apple Music and iCloud accounts, are tied to different Apple IDs?

Fortunately, Apple’s longest-serving employee, Chris Espinosa, says that poses no problem. “It manages that,” he wrote in response to a question on Twitter. “I just double-checked.”

Apple One, which bundles several of the company’s vaunted services together, is a genius move. At best, it saves you money. At worst, it looks like it does.

I think it’s going to be a massive hit for Apple, and will provide a much-needed boost for struggling services like Apple News+ and Apple Arcade. However, it might cause some big headaches in Cupertino, too.

Apple executives took to virtual stages on Tuesday to unveil a parade of important new products at its “Time Flies” event. The much-anticipated Apple Watch made its debut, and a cheaper version too. And the iPad Air got a massive upgrade. Plus, there are new services and more.

Here’s why you shouldn’t overlook anything Apple just announced.

A rumor that Apple plans to offer discounts on bundles with iCloud, Apple Arcade and other services may have been confirmed Thursday. Mentions of the “Apple One” subscription bundle reportedly turned up in the code for Apple Music for Android.

Apple is preparing a series of bundles that would group together its services at a lower monthly cost than buying them separately, Bloomberg claims.

The bundles are reportedly being referred to under the name Apple One. They could launch as soon as October, alongside the new iPhones.