Apple One Just Went Up in Price

Apple retail employee: "Sir, can I have a salary bump? It's been 3 years"

Manager: "No. Company cannot afford it right now."

Apple is basically now a subscription company. It doesn’t seem to be a mainly hardware or software company any longer… just pivoted to using overpriced hardware/software to now push overpriced subscriptions like every other ens***ification company is doing out there these days.

None of the companies will stop this descent into subscription hell. Leaving the station is the only way out for individual customers at this point. And that’s sad.

This is the legacy of Tim Cook.

Forget everything else.
He took one of the best product companies in the world and converted it into a subscription and AD rag.

If one is only concerned with stock price, as many here seem to be, I guess that's great.

I hate it.

As a family we're pretty entrenched into the Apple One services, so it'll take a bit to push us over the edge. But every hike makes me glance at the alternatives. It's really just a math problem, and so far I feel like I'm getting my money's worth out of the premium plan. The reality is that *everyone* is hiking their prices, so jumping ship doesn't necessarily save me any money. Yet.

Problem is, that Apple One is a pretty poor bundle, since you are being sold useless things or things that have better alternatives.

iCloud aside (which I think could be argued is the only decent offering in that pack), lets see:

Apple Music ---> alternatives include Spotify, which available in more places, along with Deezer, Pandora, etc. It all depends if you music is there. There's also iTunes for buying instead of "renting". I personally think that Apple Music lacks "features" that at this point should have been implemented long ago.

Fitness+ ---> An excuse of an app/service. Plenty of free options in the Internet which are better and probable more aligned with your goals

Apple TV ---> Unless you absolutely don't stream that much, it is the platform with the least content, someone might argue it has better quality, and for sure, I could give it that, but I'm pretty sure other platforms end up winning in variety alone, since at some point, you will end up having watched most of the stuff it offers.

Arcade ----> Apple and gaming are like water and oil. Kids might like it, but I think money could be better spent on a proper console or PC with actual games, rather than de-monetized mobile games. There's also GamePass if one doesnt wants to "buy" games. It doesnt helps its case that a lot of good games have gotten out of the service, and lately, shovelware has made its way in.

News+ -----> The worst of the bunch. As useless as Fitness+ is, but with the twist that it is a mess to use

I'm on a personal journey to rid myself of as many subscriptions as possible, which I understand isn't for everyone, but I find it fun to see just what I can live without and it's turned me into something of a minimalist. I also loved giving all these subscriptions the middle finger and waving good-bye. I'm down to only three subscriptions now: IPTV $79/year, Medical Lab Results App $10/year, and the lowest iCloud plan for $1.29/mth (CAD).
Again, not for everyone, but damn am I saving money.

Apple is basically now a subscription company. It doesn’t seem to be a mainly hardware or software company any longer… just pivoted to using overpriced hardware/software to now push overpriced subscriptions like every other ens***ification company is doing out there these days.

None of the companies will stop this descent into subscription hell. Leaving the station is the only way out for individual customers at this point. And that’s sad.

Subscription services should grandfather in loyal subscribers.