It sounds great, but the reality is even more confusing than the mess of options we have now.
What Does Apple One Mean for You?
Apple Musics family plan, for instance, is $14.99.
These bundles would offer some savings over the separate subscriptions, but only by a few dollars.
One may ask, then, whats the point?
A Mess of Options
Amazons Prime subscription is easy.
You pay Amazon for free shipping.
Thats the point of Prime.
You dont have to choose a tier, or pick which services you get.
Thats the secret sauce to Amazon Prime.
Its a simple decisionget Prime or dont.
Historically, Apple has had a famously simple product line.
Even now, its easy to understand.
Theres a great anecdote about Steve Jobs talking to Nike CEO Mark Parker.
Parker asked Jobs if he had any advice.
Well, just one thing, said Jobs.
Nike makes some of the best products in the world.
Products that you lust after.
But you also make a lot of crap.
Just get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff.
In recent years, Apple has been adding more and more crap to its lineup.
Thats not what I want from Apple.
Yes, you read that right.
Or rather, the focus is sharp, but its not a focus on better computers.
One of Apples mantras is A Thousand Nos for Every Yes.
It prides itself on ignoring irrelevant products to better spend its time on what it does best.
Surely, a series of fitness videos should be a no, not a yes.
It would be a lot simpler today than when I wrote about it, he told us.
The carriers would grumble, but they wouldn’t have much choice.
And for users, we might get access to multiple networks, which would be a plus.
Hardware Subscriptions?
Did you know that Apple already has a hardware subscription plan?
Its called theiPhone Upgrade Program, and for a monthly payment, you get a new iPhone every year.
You canread the entire transcript here.
This is how Apple should sell its Apple One bundle: Apple One as a hardware subscription.
Thats how Amazon Prime does it, and its great.
Thats the secret sauce to Amazon Prime, writes Gruber.
