In an open letter, Apple’s head of services, Eddy Cue, described 2022 as a “pioneering year in entertainment” for Apple. In a press release, the US company goes into the individual services and how they have evolved. Apple now has 900 million paying subscribers across all Apple services, including iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+ and the App Store. In the latter, the in-app subscriptions are a driving force behind the overall success. Since 2008, Apple has paid out $320 billion to developers of digital goods and services.
The press release may also play a role with regard to the quarterly figures, which are to be announced in early February. Apple went into the important Christmas business with comparatively few new products. In addition, subsequent deliveries were delayed due to the Covid measures in China and unrest in the largest iPhone factory. As a result, analysts expect losses in profit and sales. However, the services, which have increased in importance and turnover in recent years, should be a ray of hope.
Apple calls these numbers
Apple keeps details about how the subscribers are distributed among the various services to itself. The press release mentions, among other things, the following figures and data:
- the AppStore is visited by more than 650 million people from 175 countries and regions every week. According to Apple, in-app subscriptions make up a large part of the 900 million subscriptions for all Apple services. From spring 2023, a new pricing model will come into effect that already applies to in-app subscriptions.
- The game subscription service apple arcade currently has over 200 games on offer. In 2022, 50 new titles were added and 300 updates and extensions were made for existing apps.
- The music subscription service AppleMusic now contain more than 100 million songs. A great success is 3D audio, which is now used by 80 percent of subscribers.
- The music recognition service Shazam, now in its 20th year, has been used 70 billion times since its inception. Last year, Shazam launched 17 new national charts and 58 new city charts, further expanding its coverage of the world’s most discovered music. Users identified 40 million different songs from more than a million artists with the service.
- For AppleTV+ Apple has announced its own productions Dear Edward, Hello Tomorrow, The Reluctant Traveler and Shrinking. There will also be new seasons of shows like The Afterparty, Schmigadoon, Servant, Swagger and Truth Be Told in 2023, as well as new movies like Argylle, Killers of the Flower Moon, Sharper and more.
- The fitness video subscription service Apple Fitness+ is now available in 21 countries. According to Apple, the media library contains 3,500 workouts and meditations.
- Over 95 percent of the active accounts of the iCloud use two-factor authentication.
- In 2022, Apple renewed in 13 countries and territories Apple Mapsincluding Germany, France, Israel, New Zealand, Switzerland and Singapore.
- Apple Pay is now available in almost 70 countries and regions and works with more than 10,000 bank and network partners.
Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, praised the “extraordinary work of creative people around the world.” Never before have people had instant access to so much content, he says, referring to digital transmission channels. He also emphasizes the value of privacy and a culture where everyone belongs.
(mki)
