For people who want to go ALL IN on Apple services, there’s finally an easy way to do it.
During its fall product release event Tuesday, Apple announced the launch of a new service it calls Apple One. It’s a subscription that lets Apple users pay a monthly fee for multiple Apple products all at once.
This is a boon for people who are really into Apple. Previously, if you wanted to subscribe to services like iCloud and Apple Music, you had to keep track of and pay for multiple subscriptions at once. (If you’re someone who uses iCloud, but maybe prefers Spotify, it’s not as enticing.)
Apple has several options that vary in price, services, and individual vs. family plans.
Are any of these plans right for you?
Image: screenshot: mashable
The total available services are iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Arcade, News+, and the newly announced Fitness+. Here are the plans:
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Individual: $14.95/month, includes Apple Music, TV+, Arcade, 50 GB of iCloud storage
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Family: $19.95/month for up to six users, includes multiple users for Apple Music, TV+, Arcade, 200 GB of iCloud storage
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Premier: $29.95/month for up to six users, includes Apple Music, TV+, Arcade, 2 TB of iCloud storage, News+, and Fitness+.
So, is Apple One a good deal? We found by crunching the numbers that in every category, it is. However, Apple offers so many free promos and offers, it might be difficult to suss out if it’s right for you.
For example, a new Apple TV comes with a free year of Apple TV+, and the purchase of new Apple Watch (Series 3 or above) gets users three months of the newly announced Fitness+. If you don’t already pay for certain Apple services, a subscription to Apple One might not be taking advantage of all the free promos Apple has to offer.
You might also end up paying for things you don’t really want. For example, a subscription to TV+, iCloud storage, and Apple Music sounds pretty sweet. But never in my life would I want or need Arcade.
For people who want to try out Apple One, Apple offers a 30-day free trial for any service customers don’t currently subscribe to. Let’s say I sign up for the Apple One individual plan, and I already get everything except Arcade. For my first month on Apple One, I’d still pay for all of the subscriptions separately, but also have access to Arcade for free. After those 30 days, my services switch to the single Apple One subscription.
If all the services you pay for aren’t on the same billing schedule, Apple One will be pro-rated for the days you paid for individual subscriptions that overlapped.
Apple One is a long-awaited option for Apple devotees. It’s a good deal if you’re someone who has maxed out free trials, and already pays for a lot of Apple services. However, it has the same pitfalls as bundles in general: a lack of customizability, and the necessity to totally buy in to the world of Apple.
UPDATE: Sept. 15, 2020, 4:29 p.m. EDT This article was updated with information from Apple on its free trials.