Apple’s March 2019 event brought a number of announcements, not about computers and cell phones, but about new services Apple will be bringing to its customers. From the new Apple Card to Apple Arcade, Apple seems to have every corner of your life covered. Some worry that Apple is becoming too ubiquitous in everyday life, while others welcome these added conveniences. Has Apple taken over your life?
In its live Apple Event in March of 2019, Apple came prepared to blow customers away. The tech company unveiled plans for a new credit card in partnership with Goldman Sachs, a video game subscription service, a news-subscription app, and its own television streaming service. If your mind isn’t blown yet, just wait until you see the actors enlisted for future shows on Apple TV+.
Although these services certainly break outside of the hardware customers typically see at Apple Events, most have a single principle at their core: storytelling. Apple already secured its place in the modern narrative; now, it is helping to create it.
At the event, Apple CEO Tim Cook emphasized that Apple customers will always be at the core of everything it does. March’s event signals that the company is ready to take on even more responsibility when it comes to serving those customers.
Each of Apple’s new services builds off of current Apple offerings. The Apple Card, for example, hopes to springboard off of Apple Pay’s success and create a healthier financial life for customers.
Apple claims the card will be safer to use, easier to track, and more rewarding to spend with.
Although Apple continues to emphasize privacy–attempting to comfort customers by saying services like Apple News will not track what people read–it is evident that Apple is expanding its core competencies in order to bring customers further into the fold.
Oprah herself admitted during her presentation that she is partnering with Apple because the company is essentially already in everyone’s pocket, making it the best way to reach people. Although this notion sounds wonderful when talking about spreading openness and inclusivity, Apple arguably has the power itself to spread, contain, and alter the information reaching over one billion people.
The more Apple enters into the corners of everyday life–from how you purchase your morning coffee to how you get your news–the more dependent everyone is on its services. And the more dependent everyone is on Apple services, the more risk there is for group-think and unethical influence.
Oprah will also be taking her legendary book club to Apple’s streaming service. Once you have Oprah’s Book Club in hand, can you ever be stopped?
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