Just yesterday, 9to5Mac reported that Apple Music no longer offers three months of free trial for new users, but this isn’t the first time the company has reduced the trial of its services.
As you’re probably familiar with, companies usually bring great deals when they launch a new service. After you get used to it, it’s about the time they start to charge more for the service – and what do you do? You usually stay.
Apple has been generous with its Apple Music offer, as, for over six years, new customers could take advantage of up to three months of free listening to high-quality songs. This period, which is more than any other music streaming service offered, is enough to make a user get used to the platform, create a routine, and then never be able to leave it.
That said, this isn’t the first time Apple has shortened the free trial experience of its services. For example, when the company debuted Apple TV+, customers that bought a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac would receive up to one year of a free trial. At that time, with a very small library, it wasn’t likely that users wouldn’t care to pay for a streaming service that only offered ten TV shows.
But what Apple could do to hold users after a year of Apple TV+ free trial? Apart from new shows, the company introduced the Apple One bundle. With it, customers didn’t have to “pay more” for TV+, as it would combine at least Apple Music, Apple Arcade, iCloud, and TV+ for a few bucks more.
Now, the company bets on a few different strategies regarding Apple TV+: you can still get a free trial after buying a selected Apple product, you can try some of its best-watched TV shows for free, or you can subscribe to Apple One to take advantage of the streaming service.
About Apple Fitness+, which is the most recent service from the company, Apple offers three months for free whether you buy a new Apple Watch to take advantage of hundreds of workouts classes, and features like Time to Walk and Time to Run.
So, as you can see, Apple pushes you to use the service, get used to it, and then make an excuse so you can keep paying for it.
That said, the company still offers great deals whether bundled with its products. As Spotify faces backlash regarding one of its most important podcast shows, if you buy a new AirPods, HomePod, or selected Beats products, you can get up to six months of Apple Music for free if you are a first-time Apple Music subscriber.
Wrap up
With all being said, Apple services are doing better than ever. On its last earnings report, the company marked new Services milestones across 2021.
In January 2022, Apple’s services guru Eddy Cue provided this comment as part of the report:
Apple’s world-class portfolio of services proved essential in 2021, as people worldwide sought new ways to keep entertained, informed, connected, and inspired. With over 745 million paid subscriptions, Apple continues to connect the world’s developers, artists, and storytellers with users across more than a billion devices, delivering powerful tools, content, and experiences that enrich their lives in profound ways every day.
Eddy Cue, senior vice president of Services
Although Apple doesn’t specify the number of subscribers, it bets on quantity and quality to make sure iPhone users also want to advantage of the company’s services. In this earnings report, for example, Apple praised Apple TV+ award nominations and almost 2,000 workout sessions on Apple Fitness+.
How do you feel about Apple shortening its services free trials? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Read more:
- Comment: As Spotify raises its prices, Apple One becomes an even more tempting bundle
- Opinion: Apple should poach Peloton’s talent for Fitness+ without the bike business baggage
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