Apple: How To Improve Their Devices & Services

Apple has been making a push to make Apple TV+ more appealing to subscribers. As of late they’ve worked out deals with Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, and are rumored to be adding the National Football League. While adding sports to their lineup, there are plenty of ways for Apple to offer more still to get the best out of both the Apple TV device and Apple TV+.

Right now, Apple is having trouble keeping up with competitors with streaming offerings. While they’ve had hits like Ted Lasso, they move at a pace that doesn’t exactly keep up. They’re releasing new shows steadily and a majority of their content is well-written and well-received but there are still more ways they can draw people to their devices despite their success. With the user-friendly price of $4.99, they’re in great shape to pick up subscribers as they go. However, how long is that price going to last once they start working out long-term deals on huge contracts? Chances are they’ll need to up their pricing or come up with subscription tiers as their competitors offer. More than likely that could alienate some of their subscribers. So what more can they offer?

More Apple: What Content We Want More Of

Apple TV+

With how much Apple has invested into iTunes over the years, why can’t they step up their offerings when it comes to their streaming service as well. You can buy, rent, or be directed to stream right from pages. Why can’t Apple work out deals to offer lower prices on rentals and movie purchases for Apple TV+ subscribers? If have all these industry connections, and devices in millions of people’s hands, is there no way to undercut competitors when it comes to pricing?

If I can rent certain movies for $5.99 with other services, or get premium rental rates of say $3.99 simply because I subscribe to one service over the other do you know where I’m going to rent those movies? Wherever it’s the cheapest, right? I’m sure there’s way more there that needs to be ironed out but content isn’t the only way to get subscribers. Perks are an option most streamers aren’t exploring right now.

HomePods

How is it that I can sync my Xbox or Playstation controller to an Apple TV, but I can’t use Airpods with my consoles? Better yet, as a first-gen Homepod user, how can I still not sync my “premium speakers” to them so I can get the sound quality while gaming? There seems to be a huge dip in what I can do with these devices. Now there are rumors they might bring them back, but if they want to charge a premium price, they need to offer premium services.

Apple Card

One of the final things that need to be expanded on is their Apple Card. It’s pretty cut and dry, its a credit card. But they’ve kinda just pushed it to the background. When it came out it came with a handful of perks to gain interest. But since 2019, they haven’t really added much other than multi-users. They already partner with a handful of brands to provide discounts and cashback, why haven’t they expanded? They’ve focused more on Apple Pay Later than improving their already established credit system and that seems negligent. With Apple pushing for their Apple Fitness+, the Apple Watch, and Health why aren’t they partnering with someone to bring more Apple Card users to health and fitness brands? The Apple Card is great at launch, but there’s more it could be.

Apple has plenty of money to spend these days but seems to be more comfortable than ever moving at their own pace. It’s time they kick it into high gear as they stick to the familiarity with prior devices. Other than creating their M1/M2 chips, their lineup is making minimal improvements every year. If they’re going to lean into services, they’ll need to expand what they’re offering to appeal to larger crowds.